West-MEC academy gives students a head start in the trades

There’s real money in these trades, and they’re real careers.”

Scott Spurgeon, West-MEC superintendent

Education

West-MEC & Pueblo build skilled-trades pipeline for West Valley students

At West-MEC’s Career Academy at Agua Fria, a welding lesson can turn into a firepit — or a set of big red letters bound for Glendale.

For students from across the West Valley, those projects offer an early look at careers they can start preparing for before graduation.

In welding instructor Alejandro Navarrete’s classroom, students helped assemble their own worktables and shelves. Their projects range from metal flowers to a firepit built in about two weeks. A large red-letter sign for Glendale is next.

“We’re always building something here,” Navarrete said, adding that he gives students room to figure things out on their own. "These guys have messed up so much already, they're basically professionals." 

The academy opened in fall 2025 on the Agua Fria High School campus in Avondale through a partnership between West-MEC and the Agua Fria Union High School District. Its four current programs cover welding, electrical work, medium- and heavy-duty diesel technology, and air conditioning.

West-MEC Superintendent Scott Spurgeon compared learning a trade to playing a video game: students fail, restart and find a way to get farther the next time.

“So every time they fail, they develop a brand new strategy to get beyond where they failed before,” Spurgeon said.

Elsewhere on campus, electrical students practice wiring a tiny home, including its outlets and ceiling fans. Diesel students train in an engine room and bays built for trucks.

Spurgeon said the academy’s diesel program became more popular after moving from West-MEC’s Northeast Campus to Avondale, closer to trucking businesses along Interstate 10. All four academy programs have been full with waiting lists for two consecutive years, he said.

Students split their day between their home high schools and career training, earning high school credit while preparing for industry credentials.

Campus Administrator Tramane Marshall said nearly half come from the Agua Fria Union High School District, which serves Avondale, Goodyear and Litchfield Park, among other communities. About a quarter come from the Tolleson Union High School District.

“So really we’re serving the whole West Valley,” Marshall said.

For neighboring high school students, getting there can mean walking across the athletic fields or catching a golf cart ride with security staff.

“There’s real money in these trades, and they’re real careers,” Spurgeon said. "Graduates can go to work, continue their education or use their skills to help pay for college."

West-MEC’s expansion follows voters’ approval of a $415 million bond in November 2025. The academy’s new building will add architectural design, drone technology, low-voltage electrical and plumbing programs. The drone program will use the neighboring athletic fields for flight practice, giving students space to take their training outdoors.

“We’re actually going to be doubling in size here, so it’ll open up more opportunities for our students,” Marshall said.

Applications for the 2027-28 school year at all West-MEC campuses open at 8 a.m. Oct. 13 at west-mec.edu/apply-now.

Noah Flug
Reporter | Litchfield Park and Goodyear

nflug@iniusa.org

Community: Litchfield Park and Goodyear

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a minor in Digital Audiences from Arizona State University

Random Fact: I only have one biological cousin.

Hobbies: Watching movies and TV, spending time with my friends, aspiring stoic.