Career and Technical Education CTE is an area of public education that focuses on providing students with opportunities in high skill, high demand and high wage areas. Appalachian State University prepares individuals to teach students about these areas at the middle and high school level, at the postsecondary level, in industry and through cooperative extension agencies. Appalachian is the only institution in the state that prepares CTE teachers, and is widely recognized as providing top quality teachers for the public schools.