Meet CAST at ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2026
December 2, 2026 - December 5, 2026
New Orleans, Louisiana
See CAST in Action at CareerTech VISION
CAST is heading to ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2026, where more than 6,000 secondary and postsecondary educators, business leaders, and industry experts will gather to explore the future of career and technical education. This year, you can connect with CAST in two ways: join us for conference presentations and visit our team in the CareerTech Expo.
We look forward to sharing practical ideas for designing more inclusive learning experiences and helping CTE educators create flexible pathways that support every learner.
Attend CAST Presentations
Join CAST presenters for a session focused on applying inclusive, evidence-based approaches to career and technical education. Session title, date, time, location, and presenter details will be added here as they are confirmed.
Explore the full conference program
Visit CAST in the CareerTech Expo
Stop by Booth 2606 to meet the CAST team, explore resources grounded in Universal Design for Learning, and talk with us about creating accessible, engaging learning opportunities for CTE students and educators.
CAST partner ProjectSet will also be represented at the booth, with Dhruva Banerjee, co-founder, sharing our collaborative work on Simulated Work-Based Learning (SWBL). Visitors can explore how this AI-powered platform combines authentic and simulated projects to help learners build and demonstrate industry-specific and durable skills. Designed with accessibility and Universal Design for Learning in mind, SWBL is being piloted in community college, high school, and CTE settings, with personalized learning resources available through ProjectSet or an institution’s learning management system.
Expo hours
Thursday, December 3: 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Friday, December 4: 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Expo hours are subject to change.
Visit the CareerTech Expo site for the latest details
About CareerTech VISION
ACTE’s CareerTech VISION is the largest annual gathering for the CTE community. The 2026 event also marks ACTE’s centennial celebration, recognizing 100 years of leadership, innovation, and impact in career and technical education. Attendees can choose from hundreds of educational sessions and explore tools, technologies, and resources from more than 300 organizations in the CareerTech Expo.
Plan Your Visit
Add CAST’s presentations to your schedule, then visit us at Booth 2606. We look forward to seeing you in New Orleans.
December 3, 2026
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM CST
Details to come!
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM CST, Room 397
State leaders and postsecondary partners play a critical role in supporting Career and Technical Education (CTE) deans as they navigate complex responsibilities—from program leadership to Perkins compliance. In Michigan, the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (MI LEO) partnered with the Michigan Occupational Deans Administrative Council (MODAC) to design professional development supports that help onboard new CTE deans and sustain ongoing learning for experienced leaders. Together, they developed practical resources such as onboarding toolkits, open office hours, and peer learning opportunities focused on topics including Perkins reporting, program management, and leadership challenges. This session will highlight Michigan’s collaborative approach and provide space for discussion with participants. Attendees will explore how states and institutions support CTE deans, whether through affinity groups, peer networks, or structured professional learning.
Speakers
Dr. Amanda Bastoni, Senior Director of Postsecondary and Workforce Implementation, CAST
December 4, 2026
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM CST, Room 288
ACTE’s newest online resource – the Accessibility Hub is here! Join members of ACTE, CAST, and the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation to learn how you can access and utilize this resource to find reasonable accommodations, proven programs that are successfully training and employing youth with disabilities across the manufacturing sector, and a network of fellow educators passionate about ensuring all learners are set up for success to solve the workforce shortage. You’ll receive a demonstration, a motivational workshop with success stories and testimonials from educators, students, and employers, and engage with the professional learning community to build skills and resources to take back home.
Speakers
- Dr. Amanda Bastoni, Senior Director of Postsecondary and Workforce Implementation, CAST
- Micharl Connet, Associate Deputy Executive Director – Engagements & Outreach, ACTE
- Tara Havlicek, Program Manager, Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF)
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM CST, Room 397
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM CST, Room 397
Math is already embedded in Career and Technical Education (CTE)—in measurement, estimation, budgeting, design, and decision-making. Yet for many learners, math remains invisible, abstract, or a barrier to success. This session introduces Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a practical framework for making math visible, relevant, and accessible within CTE programs. Participants will explore how common barriers (such as over-reliance on abstract problems, limited ways to demonstrate understanding, and lack of real-world context) impact learner engagement and outcomes. Through hands-on activities, participants will analyze and redesign existing CTE lessons to better integrate math using UDL principles of engagement, representation, and action and expression. Grounded in real classroom examples, this session will provide actionable strategies to help educators embed math in ways that are meaningful, flexible, and aligned to workforce contexts. Participants will leave with tools and approaches they can immediately apply in their own programs.
Speaker
Dr. Amanda Bastoni, Senior Director of Postsecondary and Workforce Implementation, CAST
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