Data from Gilbert Public Schools shows high graduation rates, strong job readiness and a broadening range of career pathways from the district’s career and technical education programs, officials said.
CTE Director Doug Daley said the district’s programs aim to prepare students for both higher education and the workforce through “applied learning, exploration, technical skills, employment skills.”
“We want to make sure that we’re ensuring that we have a workforce for the future,” he said. “And that’s the purpose of career and technical education.”
Daley described a “four-pronged approach” that includes classroom instruction, hands-on experience, work-based learning and leadership development.
“All of our CTE programs are aligned with what’s called the Career and Technical Student Organization,” he said, explaining that students can apply their learning through competitions and public speaking opportunities.
The district now offers 21 CTE programs across its high schools, covering 108 individual courses.
“Each of these programs are either three years in length … or two years,” Daley said. “We want to make sure you’re aware of some of our work in progress.”
Michelle Crary, CTE coordinator of analytics, reported that CTE students are outperforming peers in key metrics.
“Currently this graduation rate for students who complete a two- or three-year CTE program is 96%, which is much higher than the state average,” she said. “Seventy-eight percent of our CTE concentrators go on to working in the military or post-secondary education.”
Crary noted that 79% of the district’s program completers earn an industry credential, such as certifications in agriscience, culinary safety or Adobe software. She said those achievements often lead to tangible benefits.
“Students when they earn these certifications, it helps them get a job,” she said. “Sometimes the kids (are) promoted, they get a pay raise. And some students have even told us that it increases their self-confidence.”
Over the past seven years, the district has seen a “2,700%” increase in students earning industry certifications. Crary credited that growth to teamwork among teachers, career centers and technical staff.
“All of this work that teachers have done has contributed positively,” she said.
Renita Miller, coordinator of program and workforce development, discussed how CTE aligns with the region’s job market, noting that a 10-year career cluster forecast for Gilbert is consistent with the long-term economic development expected in the whole East Valley.
She highlighted growing fields such as health care, construction, advanced manufacturing and agriculture. The agricultural sector, she noted, has evolved into “high tech food science and supply chain areas … more representative of the agribusiness part of agriculture.”
Miller also said the district is expanding early exposure to career skills.
“We have this year 16 GPS schools that are part of the Chief Science Officers program,” she said. “They let us know that our delegation of 16 schools within one district is the largest delegation in the United States.”
In a video presented to the Governing Board on Oct. 28, Desert Ridge Junior High STEM teacher Justin Cantrell said, “We are trying to introduce these kids to all of the aspects of STEM … and get them to have fun and be hands-on doing it.”
A student in the program added, “The teamwork part of it is really fun. I like working with other people and completing the projects.”
Daley acknowledged that “many opportunities within Gilbert Public Schools … are there, but people do not know about it.”
He said the district is working with marketing and communications to promote CTE offerings more widely and that “we just need to continue to promote the opportunities available.”
Gilbert Public Schools Board Clerk Blake Robison asked how parents and students learn about certifications, and Daley said presentations and guides are distributed to junior high counselors and families.
“We’re doing a lot,” he said “We know we can do more.”
Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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