What Every Parent Should Know about Career and Technical Education

Expand Student Options
A Career and Technical Education program can:

Show how reading, math, and science are used in career 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 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 life skill.
Test Career Interests before College
Career and Technical Education provides 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, business or biotechnology - just to mention a few.
Help Pay for College
Technical skills that focus on a specific career area help students get better higher-paying jobs to meet the cost of a college education.
Broaden Lifelong work and Education Options
Career and Technical programs prepare students for well-paying satisfying careers even in nontraditional 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.

Westwood High School

Career & Technical Education (CTE)

Agriculture

Career & Technical Education Faculty

Computers, Business & Information Technology

Family Consumer Science

Industrial Technology

Why CTE?