The lines between academic study and career and technical skills training are blurring. State and national leaders are beginning to recognize the transformational potential career and technical education (CTE) offers for such issues as secondary-postsecondary transitions, remediation, and the drop-out problem. At the national level, the National Governors Association, Achieve, the National Association of State Boards of Education, and other organizations have initiated new projects within the last few years that focus on CTE and school reform. The federal Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins), which was reauthorized in 2006, contains stronger links to academic improvement and accountability as well. In this article, the author discusses how these current CTE efforts tie CTE to academic improvement and accountability. The author also examines how CTE programs can use career clusters and dual concurrent enrollment to establish secondary-postsecondary links. Lastly, the author also discusses how the "soft skills" learned by students in CTE programs will make them marketable employees after graduation.