State schools chief Tom Horne celebrated the growing success of the Arizona Department of Education’s efforts to prepare students for high-paying skilled jobs through Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, according to a recent announcement.
Horne was joined by students, parents, educators, and industry leaders from organizations such as Abrazo Health, Dignity Health, Honeywell Aerospace, Arizona State Future Farmers of America, Arizona State University, Custom Automotive Reconditioning Services, Gas Technical Institute Energy, and Able Aerospace. The event highlighted students who have found success in the workforce as a result of their participation in CTE programs across the state.
“Arizona has great businesses. But CEOs told me that one of their biggest problems is a lack of skilled labor. I told them: I’ll make you a deal. I have access to 1,200,000 students so I can provide your skilled labor. In return, you will teach our career technical education teachers and administrators what skills are needed to get a well-paid job in your company upon graduation from high school. 40 of Arizona’s largest companies agreed, and we call this the Student Industry Partnership or SIP,” Horne said.
He continued: “Not all students go to college. Those that do not must have the certified skills to get a well-paid job after high school. Our philosophy is: every student, without exception, graduates career or college ready.” Horne also said: “Exposure to possible jobs is highly motivating. As a result, career technical education students graduate at an astounding 97.4% rate, far exceeding the state average.”
Over the past two years more than 58,000 CTE students earned over 77,000 credentials. This week alone sees 40,000 students completing their Technical Skills Assessment—a figure that demonstrates significant growth compared to previous years. Currently there are slightly more than 161,000 students enrolled in CTE programs across 326 schools and 144 districts with more than 2,500 site-level programs.
Further details about these initiatives can be found on the organization’s website.
