Work to Establish a FCS Career Cluster

In the early 1990s, the Department of Education embarked on a project to develop a grouping of courses and classes in the career and technical education space which would make it easier for State to report to the department how many students were taking courses in different career areas. 

These groupings go by many names, they were initially called vocations, then programs, pathways, and now they are referred to as 'career clusters.'

The Department of Education issued a call for proposal and selected an external group to conduct research and develop a model for the grouping of occupations and industries. The idea being, that similar classes result in similar occupations. 

Unfortunately, there were winners and losers in that evaluation. Not every recognized industry, discipline, or occupation was selected to have its own grouping. And Family and Consumer Sciences was one of those losers. While it was long recognized as a vocation and was named in the federal legislation as a critical component of career and technical education, it was was excluded from the final collection of groupings. 

But it still remained a part of career and technical education programs. Many States still maintain a Family and Consumer Sciences program, and to those States we are very thankful.

Other States chose to create their own groupings or to follow the model - both options included Family and Consumer Sciences but with the FCS courses split among different career pathways (or clusters). This ended up being a benefit and curse. It was a benefit because schools could hire a Family and Consumer Sciences educator and that educator could teach subjects in multiple career areas. Providing schools with more return on investment, many teachers can only teach one subject, but FCS teachers can teach many. But the lack of a defined "Family and Consumer Sciences" career pathway (or cluster) resulted in less students realizing they were taking family and consumer sciences and pursuing FCS degrees in college. 

And these decreases in enrollment have led to employee gaps in education, communication, culinary arts, milling and baking, textile sciences, and more. 

In 2022-2025, an ambitious project was launched to revise the groupings of careers into a modernized framework and AAFCS was there working with fellow FCS associations as part of the Alliance for FCS to advocacy for FCS to added back. 

And below documents, letters, records, and research capture the work that AAFCS did in partnership with the Alliance to advocate for FCS to be included. 

Unfortunately, external groups worked against FCS and the decision was made again to exclude FCS from this modernized framework of Career Clusters. But we hope that this will serve as a resource and historical record of the value of Family and Consumer Sciences and the need for the U.S. to change course and include FCS programs in all States. 

And FCS will continue on in the many States that still offer FCS as a career pathway (or cluster) and include FCS classes within their other career pathways. 

Resources:

Advance CTE Board and Staff Contact List (updated)

Draft Letter to Advance CTE - Individual

Draft Letter to Advance CTE - Company

Draft Letter to Advance CTE - Policymaker

Draft Letter to Industry and Partners

List of State CTE Administrators

FCS leaders have been proven leaders in emerging challenges to the US. 

FCS has been recognized by Carl V. Perkins since its inception as vitally important to career and technical education.

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) is a research-based discipline with a rich history of meeting the work-life balance and needs of individuals and families.

This is a multifaceted discipline that reflects a skill set of careers that do not fit within the cluster silos.

Email AAFCS Advocacy staff today to join the Alliance for FCS and partner with the AAFCS.

The split of FCS content over several clusters of the past did not recognize the integrative nature of the discipline, resulted in inequity in funding distribution by local and state support agencies, and led to the loss of secondary and post-secondary programs. This action should be corrected, highlighting the importance of FCS across the United States.

FCS represents many female-dominated careers that need to receive the same recognition and support as traditional male-dominated careers. 

FCS is a dynamic field that is recognized by the Bureau of Labor and Statics and the US Department of Education through the National Center for Educational Statistics Classification of Instruction (CIP) program codes, along with School Courses for the Exchange of Data (SCED) coding, as well as teacher preparation programs.

Interdisciplinary Nature

FCS integrates academic and personal effectiveness skills which are practiced and mastered within real world applications.

Growing Demand

Many FCS-related professions are experiencing growth and demand; many do not fit within the siloed career clusters of the past.

Holistic Skill Development

FCS encompasses a wide range of foundational practical skills that contribute to a student’s overall personal development and ability to address work life balance which impacts their working lives. 

Career Diversity

FCS offers diverse career opportunities, all of which require an integrative skill set to meet the basic needs of the individual and families. Recognizing FCS as its own career cluster highlights the breadth of professions students can pursue. 

Employability Skills for Success

FCS equips individuals with a broad set of life skills that are directly transferable to the workplace.

Industry Relevance

FCS aligns with industries that fall between the commonly recognized career clusters, including the home-focused markets and the world of nonprofits.

Leadership Development of Students

A successful employee is best served through a well-rounded education. FCS people-centered and problem-based programs build personal growth and enhance success in the FCS Careers. 

Promotes Well-being

FCS Education promotes health and well-being concepts considered prevention in nature, which are essential skills for a thriving workforce and society that impact the bottom line of all businesses and industries.

Focuses on Family and Community

FCS Emphasizes the importance of strong families and communities, which require skills that cross multiple industries and involve capacity building. This is a critical piece missing from the present career cluster model.

Empowers Students

FCS empowers students to make informed decisions about their personal and family lives, careers, and finances. This work-life balance education, recognized through an FCS career cluster, will indicate the importance of this empowerment.

Supports Diversity and Inclusion

FCS embraces diversity by addressing the needs of a diverse population and promotes cultural awareness, skills essential for a thriving workforce and society. An FCS career cluster will bring recognition of this work. 

Cultivates Future Leaders

As a collative result of the above, FCS fosters a new generation of leaders who understand the complexities of modern society through nurtured capacity-building skills, which are expanded through FCCLA to build goal setting, decision-making, advocacy, and public speaking and communication skills. This will enhance a student’s desire to run for public office, become a community volunteer leader, and become involved in philanthropy efforts.