Why Career and Technical Education?
Expand Student Options
- Show how reading, math, and science are used in careers by relating academic subjects to the real world.
- Start college studies while in high school through dual enrollment with a community college .
- Add a new dimension to learning with “hands-on,” in addition to “eyes-on” activities–a more effective way of learning
Enhance Success in School
- Career and Technical programs teach the Arizona Academic Standards needed to be successful on the state graduation exam while enhancing students’ enjoyment of school.
- Academic Standards may come easier when taught in a Career and Technical program.
Provide College Prep and Career Prep
- Career and Technical education blends rigorous academic content with technical skills in a hands-on setting so students find greater meaning and greater success in their studies.
- Career and Technical programs meet the entrance requirements of four-year colleges and universities while including the skills employers are looking for.
Challenge Students to Think
- Career and Technical students are challenged to apply theoretical knowledge–learned in academic and technical classrooms– to practical problems in laboratories or at worksites.
- This is a basic lifetime skill.
Test Career Interests Before College
- Career and Technical education provides a career focus as insurance for success in post secondary education. Before students invest in college, they can test their interest in areas such as health care, culinary arts, information technology, technical drawing, hospitality, teaching, child care, agriculture, or business–just to mention a few.
Help Pay for College
- Technical skills focus on a specific career area help students obtain better, higher-paying jobs to meet the cost of college education.
Broaden Lifelong Work and Education Options
- Career and Technical programs prepare students for well-paying satisfying careers even in non-traditional fields
Acquire Life Skills That Apply to Any Career
- Personal skills–such as self-confidence, self-awareness, good work habits, practical problem solving, punctuality, reliability, and teamwork–are essential in any career.
- Career and Technical programs instill the desire to learn because every student feels a sense of accomplishment.
What are Career Pathways?
Career paths are clusters of occupations that are combined together because many of the people in them share similar interests, abilities, and talents.
Selecting a career path provides you with an area of
FOCUS along with FLEXIBILITY and a VARIETY of careers to pursue.
Although people change jobs many times, they seldom change from one pathway to another.
Explore the Six Career Pathways
Arts/ Communications/ Humanities
Occupations in this career pathway are related to the creative, visual, craft and performing arts. These include architecture, graphic, interior and fashion design, writing, film, fine arts, journalism, languages, media, advertising, public relations, and music.
Engineering/ Industrial Systems
Occupations in this career pathway are related to the technology necessary to design, develop, install and maintain electrical, mechanical and structural systems. These include engineering, manufacturing, construction, and related technologies.
Social/ Human Services
Occupations in this career pathway are related to hospitality, personal and customer services, social services, legal services, and protective services. These include education, government, law and law enforcement, leisure and recreation, military, religion, childcare, social services and personal (beauty) services.
Business Systems
Occupations in this career pathway are related to business occupations, administration, management, marketing and sales. These include entrepreneurship, sales, marketing, computer/information systems, finance, accounting, personnel, economics and management.
Health Services
Occupations in this career pathway are related to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, disorders and injuries, laboratory technology and therapy. These include medical practice, research, laboratory technology, physical, occupational and speech therapies, disease prevention, alternative medicine, and veterinary science.
Natural Resources
Occupations in this career pathway are related to the natural sciences, agriculture and the environment. These include agricultural sciences, earth sciences, environmental sciences, fisheries, forestry, horticulture, and wildlife.