9 fantastic job-training programs for Arizona high schoolers

Graduating high school is a big deal. These nine job-training programs for Arizona students make it an even bigger deal by paving the way for a meaningful career right out of high school! 

Raise your hand if graduating high school with a trade certificate or an associate’s degree would have helped you reach your dreams faster. Even if that trade didn’t turn out to be your lifelong passion, it would certainly help create a strong foundation early on in adulthood, leading to more financial abundance, success, and stability. It could even help pay for college—or at least make high school feel more relevant.

While those of us raising our hands are most likely far out of high school, there’s a good chance that we know teenage students who would love to have this early edge on adulting. 

College is a traditional way to reach dreams through meaningful work. However, college isn’t for everyone. Trades are a fantastic option for students who may not excel academically but still wish to find a fulfilling and financially prosperous career. Some popular trades include cosmetology, culinary arts, mechanics, plumbing, massage, phlebotomy, and so much more. Certification for a trade can be completed in sync with a high school diploma and is often referred to as a CTE or a Career and Technical Education. 

This may sound far-fetched, especially if a student isn’t academically motivated, but these nine Arizona programs offer both opportunity and motivation for students who would love to start working in a meaningful industry right out of high school. 

1. EVIT Mesa 

Welding, HVAC, cosmetology, radio, mechanics, dental tech, aviation, and culinary arts are just a few of the programs offered, free of charge, at the East Valley Institute of Technology located in Mesa. This stunning campus is massive and caters to high school students as a supplement with required high school courses.

A day at EVIT lasts 3-5 hours and replaces elective classes. Students spend part of their day completing classes at their conventional high school and part of the day on the EVIT campus working towards their technical career dreams.

Having toured this facility with middle schoolers in the past, the inspiration and joy felt at this campus is absolutely contagious. Schedule a tour today and please keep in mind that spots can fill quickly—many applicants begin the process while in 7th or 8th grade. 

2. CVIT Gila County

The Cobre Valley Institute of Technology serves several small towns in Gila County, including Globe, Kearny, Miami, Winkelman, San Carlos, and Superior. Fire science, agriculture, welding, early childhood education, and dental assisting are a few of the CTEs offered to students wishing to fulfill requirements for trade certification right out of high school. These free-of-charge courses are a way to create relevance for high schoolers and begin once a student enters their sophomore year.

Like other programs, it’s done in conjunction with other core courses and is a fantastic way of keeping students engaged and motivated to complete high school.

3. Job Corps Tucson 

The Fred G. Acosta Job Corps Center in Tucson is a bit different than other CTE programs. It’s geared towards low-income students between the ages of 16 and 24 and can include completing a diploma, but it mainly focuses on creating hardworking and professionally trained students ready to enter the workforce in a meaningful trade. The Job Corps program focuses on the automotive, health care, construction, and security fields, all of which have proven to be valuable and higher-earning trades.

The free program includes job training, meals, housing, basic medical care, and a living allowance. A Job Corps campus is also available in Phoenix.

4. Arizona Virtual Academy 

Arizona Virtual Academy, or AZVA, is technically a virtual school, but it offers class flexibility as well as a career-focused high school path. Developed for 6th to 12th graders, this school is a great option for students who don’t excel in traditional school settings, travel with their parents, or simply need the flexibility of a virtual education system.

AZVA is free of charge and available to anyone who has access to the internet. The career-focused path caters to about 130 different career fields, gearing students to be workforce-ready upon school completion. While completing virtual learning takes discipline, it may be just the answer for students who find traditional school challenging. 

5. West-Mec Glendale

Western Maricopa Education Center is located in Glendale and partners with 15 school districts and two charter schools to provide comprehensive CTE programs. There are five different campuses throughout the West and Northern parts of the Valley, and all are free to high school students. There are over 40 different programs offered, ranging from conventional—such as cosmetology, medical, and culinary—to more specialized, such as veterinary science, physical therapy, and paralegal courses.

The possibilities with this CTE program are virtually endless; it offers ample opportunity to students with a wide array of technical interests. 

6. Central Arizona Valley Institute of Technology 

Located in Coolidge, CAVIT is a CTE program for high school juniors and seniors looking for career certification and/or college credit. In the last school year alone, the program provided nearly 500 certificates and set up nearly 400 students with college credit.

The program partners with local businesses to provide students with hands-on training and accurate real-world lessons. This free program is only available at one campus, Coolidge High School.  

7. JTED Pima

 The Joint Technical Education District is a CTE program located in Pima. It offers upwards of 30 programs, including heavy equipment operations, graphic design, certified caregiver, artificial intelligence programming, biomanufacturing, and more. These programs lead to program certification as well as state licensure and are offered to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

The tuition-free program has a campus in Pima but also offers satellite campuses in all public high schools in Pima County, Santa Cruz Valley, Nogales, and Mammoth San Manuel. 

8. CAVIAT

The Coconino Association for Vocations, Industry, and Technology offers CTE courses, free of charge, for high school students in Northern Arizona. The various campuses of Flagstaff, Page, Williams, Fredonia, and Grand Canyon all offer different programs that vary in length and include automotive technologies, alternative energies, hospitality management, nursing assistance, and more.

Like other CTE programs in the state, this program complements traditional core courses.  

9. NAVIT

Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology, or NAVIT, is located in Snowflake and serves 11 different school districts of Northern Arizona both on campus and via satellite programs. The program serves high school juniors and seniors located in Blue Ridge, Heber-Overgaard, Holbrook, Joseph City, Payson, Show Low, Snowflake, St. Johns, Round Valley, Whiteriver, and Winslow.

The free CTE programs for high schoolers include welding, personal training, allied health, administration of justice, certified nursing assistant, and more. Not only does NAVIT offer technical training, but since it works in conjunction with community colleges, many students complete the program with both certification and college credit. 

Other options 

If you or a teenager you know are interested in finding CTEs near you but do not see your town explicitly mentioned on this list, check out the Arizona Department of Education. Other options for early success include dual enrollment, where a high school student can begin completing college courses while still in high school, usually at the early age of 14. Not only are courses oftentimes discounted for dual enrollment, but the plethora of online courses makes it easier than ever to be academically successful while juggling full plates.

All in all, success straight out of high school is made incredibly possible in this state. While I was teaching at an alternative school in Scottsdale, a student once claimed that Phoenix is full of transplants because of the economic opportunities. This truth is reflected not only by the booming businesses of Arizona as a whole but also by the programs geared to student success—yet another gem of the Grand Canyon State. 

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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