<aside> 💡 Here is some guidance on getting plugged into a career and technical education program while in high school. Special notes on public CTE programs in Arizona.

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👍 Why is this a good idea?

Kids can learn cool, practical things.
Depending on the program, kids can also earn college credit.
It allows them to explore a career field before they graduate.
It sets students up for immediate employment after graduation, should you want or need it. Maybe you enter the workforce right away. Maybe you get a better paying summer job during college.
It gives you a sense of accomplishment.
It gives you confidence for learning new things.
Access to mentors.
Depending on the program, kids can also earn college credit.
It can save you thousands of dollars. The career and technical training you’d pay for out of pocket after high school is offered for free during high school. You can also find out that you don’t like something for free; again, saving thousands of dollars in college tuition and wasted time.

📆 When should I get started?

Most programs take 1-2 years to complete. This means:

Some schools offer CTE programs for Freshmen and Sophomores, making it possible for a student to complete multiple programs during their high school years.
Learn about your options as soon as possible, even before your Freshman year and certainly after. Ideally, find out if and when a program fair is offered near you. After that, figure out your application/enrollment timeline. Spots can fill up quickly, so you’ll want to be ready. Ideally, school guidance counselors at the Jr. High and Sr. High levels should be able to help. But if not, just call your the county’s CTED program directly.
Apply before the year your program starts.

🤷‍♀️ How do I pick a program?

We use the following approach to help our kids pick a program.

Decide what program locations were workable for our family. For us, this meant a location we could reliably get to after school.