New EVIT-MPS welding campus opens at high school in Mesa in July

The East Valley Institute of Technology and Mesa Public Schools are partnering to establish a welding campus designed to get high school students into the workforce faster.

EVIT Welding at Skyline, opening in July at Mesa’s Skyline High School, 845 S. Crismon Road, will prepare students for entry level work as certified welders and paid apprentices in Valley industries.

Any students in the EVIT Career Technical Education District, including home-schooled, charter and private school students, may enroll in the program, according to a release.

“Welding is an in-demand field in the Valley and an in-demand program at EVIT and in Mesa Public Schools,” EVIT Superintendent Chad Wilson said in the release. “This partnership brings together two strong education institutions to get more students trained and into jobs as certified welders.”

Matt Strom, superintendent of Mesa Public Schools, said the partnership expands access and opportunity.

“EVIT Welding at Skyline is exactly the kind of partnership that delivers on the Mesa Public Schools Promise, connecting students to real opportunities that lead directly to high-skill careers with livable wages while encouraging students to build stackable skills and credentials,” Strom said in the release. “By creating access to welding pathways right here at Skyline High School, we are removing barriers and accelerating students’ transition from classroom to career.”

The Skyline welding program will be EVIT’s second campus partnership with Mesa to meet the needs of students where they are. EVIT CNA at Red Mountain High School also opens in July as a training center for students who want to become certified nursing assistants.

Both locations provide options for career training in the East Valley that may be closer to home for students than attending EVIT’s central campuses — Main Campus in west Mesa and Power Campus in southeast Mesa. They also provide EVIT additional space as enrollment in the central campuses continues to grow.

“Interest and enrollment are booming right now in career and technical education (CTE) and trade schools like EVIT as families look for options that provide a great education with faster entry into the workforce,” Wilson said.

Like the CNA program at Red Mountain, the Skyline welding program will use EVIT curriculum and be taught by EVIT faculty.

The Skyline program will count as a pre-apprenticeship program. This means students who complete the program may advance into EVIT’s paid apprenticeship program for structural metal fabrication and fitting. The apprenticeship includes 600 hours of technical instruction and 8,000 hours of paid on-the-job training.

“The welding program, especially with the pathway into a paid apprenticeship, is a great opportunity for the student who wants to start earning money as a welder right away after graduating from high school,” Wilson said. “It’s also a great opportunity for employers looking for skilled welders who are eager to work.”

Skyline students may enroll in the welding program by contacting their school counselor. Other students in the EVIT CTED should enroll at www.evit.edu/enrollnow.