EVIT partners with major local companies on STEM workforce development program

MESA — The East Valley Institute of Technology is partnering with major local companies like Boeing, Honeywell and Intel to create a STEM program that prepares students for future employment at those businesses.

EVIT, a career training school for high school students and adults, offers three tracks through its STEM Academy: aviation, engineering and high-tech manufacturing.

Students can to take the two-year program tuition-free if they are active high school students in certain East Valley public school districts.

How is EVIT building local job force?

Eric Middleton, EVIT dean of high-tech manufacturing, said the curriculum was designed with input from both the school and companies to meet the foundational needs of future employees.

“We’re trying to create a pathway for, not only the students, but also for the businesses in our community,” Middleton told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “So, these opportunities, they can stay with these companies for a lifetime.”

The program officially began in July with the first class of students, including 17-year-old James Thurber, who is interested in pursuing aerospace engineering. He said the program gives him a path toward a career he’s excited about.

“Just working with my hands and being creative, I’m better with my hands than I am with a pencil compared to like math and English,” Thurber said.

EVIT program helps high school students

The courses in the STEM program also count towards students’ high school credits.

Fred Vera, a high-tech manufacturing instructor at EVIT, said the program emphasizes strong foundational skills to ensure students are prepared for success from day one.

“They are learning how that operation happens: all the machines, the tools, the quality, the lean manufacturing, the work instructions, standard operating procedures,” Vera said. “Then we put those to practice here in our shop.”

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

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