One of seven Cluster Review Committees for Career and Technical Education (CTE) charged with reviewing CTE Arts, AV and Communications Cluster met Wednesday, Oct. 4, in Topeka to discuss Graphic Design, Web and Digital Communications, and Digital Media Pathways. 

The purpose of KACCTE is to provide business and industry leaders with a unified voice to advocate and provide recommendations to KSDE, the Kansas Postsecondary Technical Education Authority, State Workforce Board and the Kansas Board of Regents for continuous improvement for CTE.  

KACCTE has committees reviewing seven CTE Clusters: 

• Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (eight pathways)  
• Architecture and Construction (one pathway)  
• Arts, AV and Communications (four pathways)  
• Education and Training (one pathway)  
• Engineering (three pathways)  
• Finance (one pathway)  
• Health and Bio Sciences (three pathways)  

Some review committees have met while others are meeting throughout October and November at the Landon State Office Building (LSOB) and the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library.  

The Arts, AV and Communications review committee is comprised of business and industry leaders, high school educators and representatives from colleges, community colleges and technical schools. 

About 35 Arts, A/V and Communications review committee members met at LSOB in Topeka, where the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) offices are located. 

On Wednesday, Oct. 4, the review committee heard from Emilie Doerksen, a labor economist from the Kansas Department of Labor. She shared labor market information, including the Kansas median annual wage for employees in the Arts, AV and Communications cluster. The average hourly wage is $25.41 with an average annual wage of $52,850, according to the 2023 Kansas Wage Survey. 

There are 1,380,420 employees that fall under this career cluster, including printing press operators, graphic designers, editors, web developers, floral designers, broadcast announcers, producers and directors, photographers, musicians, set and exhibit designers and art directors. By 2030, the projected number of employees in the Arts, A/V and Communications cluster will be 1,536,570, with a projected average annual growth rate of 0.7%. The annual projected job openings are 171,795. 

Art directors receive the highest wage at $39.35 per hour (average) and an annual wage of $81,840 (average). The lowest wage makers are set and exhibit designers, with an average hourly wage of $9.08 and an average annual wage of $18,880. There are 2,790 printing press operators in the state, which is the area with the most employees in the career cluster, and 220 art directors, which is the area with the least number of employees. 

The high-demand occupations in this cluster are graphic designers, librarians and media collections specialists.  

Graphic designers have a median annual wage of $48,610 with a bachelor’s degree and no work experience or job training. The Career Pathway is graphic design. 

Librarians and media collections specialists have a median annual wage of $58,440 with a master’s degree and no work experience or job training. The Career Pathway is digital media. 

The most common knowledge needed for occupations in the Arts, AV and Communications Career Cluster is English language, computers and electronics, customer and personal service, and communications and media. 

The most common skills needed for occupations in the cluster are active listening, critical thinking and speaking. 

Committee members then discussed what students are taking arts, audio visual, communications, web and digital media courses, along with what is popular and what isn’t and why. They also talked about program alignment, what certifications and credentials business and industry are asking for and who should be able to teach courses in the Arts, A/V and Communications Cluster. 

The committee will have check-ins on Oct. 20 and Nov. 6, and members will have a remote meeting Nov. 1. Their last meeting to finalize the review process will take place in January. 

On March 3, 2024, all reviewed pathways will be posted for public comment for 30 days and shared on KSDE’s CTE listservs. The KACCTE will receive recommendations in June, and the Kansas State Board of Education will receive them in August 2024.