Career and Technical Education (CTE) exists for those students who want to enter the world of work sooner rather than later; who wish to learn from teachers who are experts in their field, whether in class settings and internships and/or apprenticeships. CTE practitioners in suburban settings, whether they are teachers or administrators, have not garnered much attention in research studies over the last 20 years. The participants include two CTE directors representing two different school districts in a suburban setting. This study revealed four major findings regarding the perceptions of CTE leaders and CTE programs they supervise: programs that have curriculum representing only one of five signature features of CTE curriculum, one district very representative of high quality, rigorous CTE pedagogy, the other halfway there, programs that are closer to cutting edge than not, and knowledgeable CTE directors. This study has implications on theory, practice and research since traditional workforce trends continue to be uprooted by normal market ebbs and flows coupled with post-COVID 19 pandemic influences as well as automation. The voices of these two CTE leaders, from the frontlines, can help to inform parents and policy makers about the effectiveness of public high school based CTE programs, as well as how such programs can be strengthened to help meet the needs of industry. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]