BADGERS BOUND FOR
SUCCESS: CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION AT PRESCOTT HIGH SCHOOL
Callie Oryall, JROTC Cadet Commander
M
odern Career and Technical Education (CTE) high school programs don’t look much like your grandpa’s woodshop class. That’s especially true at Prescott High School (PHS). Some of these outdated perceptions of CTE still persist, although this is finally shifting as students, parents, and business leaders become aware of just how incredible many of these programs are. “Part of shedding that image…is understanding that students who complete CTE are 97% more likely to enroll in a post-secondary education within eight years past their graduation,” said Francisco Ortiz y Davis, Director of CTE at Prescott High School. “And that’s compared to the 75% average for all high school students. CTE completers are much more likely to go on to two-year college, four-year college, or a tech school and their earnings are higher within the eight years past graduation as well.” Ortiz y Davis believes the reason for these impressive statistics is that students who complete CTE programs graduate with more than just a high school diploma. They also have marketable certifications and skills, transferable college credits, and “soft skills.” 52 TG MAGAZINE
-Angie Johnson-Schmit
These soft skills include leadership, problem-solving, communication, team building, time management, persuasion, and collaboration. Soft skills not only prepare students for employment but also provide the basis for students to become well-rounded citizens within the community. According to Rebecca Horniman, Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) Director of Marketing and Public Relations, the high school’s CTE program is an integral part of their educational approach. “Prescott High School is over 150 years old and CTE has been embedded in our curriculum since the beginning, whether it was called CTE in days of yore or not,” she said.
The Prescott High School CTE program is a partnership between Prescott Unified School District, Mountain Institute Career Technical Education District (MICTED) and Yavapai College.
