New approaches to career and technical education (CTE) create new roles for career educators, including providing career awareness, counseling, guidance, and self-education. Career educators must understand and reflect upon career development theories; teaching and learning strategies; school-to-work practices; school/business linkages; and technology use for career development. Because these are continually evolving in focus and design, career educators need ongoing education to both support their teaching and their assumption of new roles as coach, collaborator, business partner, and technology advocate. Professional development is a key tool for career educators to use in enhancing interpersonal skills such as communication, negotiation, and teamwork. In order to best serve teachers, professional development activities must have the following characteristics: (1) ongoing and long term; (2) job-embedded and inquiry-based; (3) supportive of current teaching beliefs; (4) related to reform efforts; (5) based upon appropriate adult learning experiences; and (6) support systemic change. (Contains 12 references.) (AJ)