Arizona students turn career training into higher graduation rates and job-ready skills

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Education celebrated more than 40,000 Arizona high school students who are graduating from career and technical education programs (CTE) this year.

The programs teach students technical skills in a variety of fields that can be used for future careers or postsecondary education options.

There are over 160,000 students in CTE programs in 326 schools across Arizona.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said programs that introduce students to future careers motivate them to finish high school. The CTE graduation rate is 97.7%, compared with Arizona’s statewide high school graduation rate of 80%.

“Not all students go to college,” Horne said. “Those that do not must have the certified skills necessary to get a well-paid job after high school. Our philosophy is every student, without exception, graduates career or college ready.”

Charlene Roth is a high school senior at Verrado High School. She is also completing her school’s CTE Sports Medicine program and is currently interning at Abrazo Health. She says having the opportunity to explore her future goals has pushed her.

“I go home every day with like super exciting stories and I’ve [had] some crazy experiences that have just strengthened my dream of becoming a surgeon one day because I’ve been able to work closely with them on my internship and have conversations with them,” she said.

Nathan Boyd is a senior at Paradise Valley High School and a student in the Crest Engineering Program.

He said during his internship with Honeywell Aerospace he’s discovered his passion.

“I get to see how the industry itself operates while learning alongside other high school interns, college interns and the engineers themselves,” said Boyd. “It is now driving my passion towards aerospace.”

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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