Students use a five-phase design process to create and revise a fair, safety-focused CTE dress code that reflects the SkillsUSA professional framework and real workplace expectations. Over four weeks, they investigate clothing choices for different lab and classroom scenarios, collaborate with peers and CTE partners, and turn feedback into stronger rules, visuals, and elevator pitches for authentic audiences. The work builds communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and self-direction through repeated critique, reflection, and public exhibition. By the end, students produce clear dress code tools and explain how their choices support professionalism, readiness, and safety.

Students will use the design process to define criteria and constraints, then create and revise a CTE dress code that balances safety, fairness, and professionalism for real lab and classroom scenarios. They will strengthen writing by planning, drafting, revising, and editing a one-page guide and pitch cards for specific audiences, using feedback from peers, teachers, and community partners. Students will build collaboration and communication skills through discussions, pair conferences, gallery walks, and elevator pitches that clearly connect clothing choices to SkillsUSA and career readiness. They will reflect after each phase to identify growth in teamwork, confidence, and decision-making, and use that reflection to improve their final product and presentation.

Students will create draft-and-revision dress code prototypes, including a one-page guide with icons and short rules, photo or voice reflections after each design phase, and practice elevator pitch scripts on pitch cards. As the project develops, teams will also build small poster stations that show CTE scenarios, recommended clothing choices, and short safety and professionalism explanations for each setting. By the end, students will present a polished final dress code guide, a digital or printed collection of pitch cards, and a scenario-based display station ready for a SkillsUSA Spotlight Showcase, Professional Pathways Expo, or Dress Code Design Jam. These products will show how students used feedback from peers, teachers, CTE staff, and community partners to improve fairness, usefulness, safety, and career readiness.

Kick off with a Pathway Pop-Up Lab where students rotate through quick CTE scenario stations, examine clothing choices, and decide what is safe, fair, and professional for each task. Follow with a fast gallery walk called Pitch and Protect Launch Day, where teams react to sample dress code ideas, leave feedback on safety and readiness, and notice how different audiences might respond. Invite a CTE teacher, lab technician, or SkillsUSA advisor to model a short elevator pitch and explain how dress expectations connect to real workplace habits. Close with a circle share and brief self-check in which students name one strong clothing choice, one question they still have, and one idea they want to test in their own design.

Host a SkillsUSA Spotlight Showcase or Dress Code Design Jam where students present in small groups and deliver brief elevator pitches explaining how their dress code ideas support safety, fairness, professionalism, and career readiness. Set up a Professional Pathways Expo with display stations featuring one-page dress code guides, pitch cards, scenario posters, and prototypes so visitors can interact with the work and ask questions. Invite CTE teachers, lab technicians, peers, families, and a local SkillsUSA advisor or chapter officer to rotate through stations, give feedback, and vote on the most useful and fair ideas. Include student-led reflections at each station so learners share what changed through the design process and how feedback improved their final product.