Skip To Main Content

Get a Glimpse of Who You Want to Be with CTE: Jr High Counselors Learn All About What CTE Offers

Get a Glimpse of Who You Want to Be with CTE: Jr High Counselors Learn All About What CTE Offers
Holly Anderson
CTE Automotive Technologies students displaying their skills working on a car engine within their workshop

While students are finally getting settled into their 2025-2026 school year, Junior High Counselors are already taking the initiative to understand what opportunities their students will have as they continue to high school. Counselors from various junior high schools, including Desert Ridge, Greenfield, Highland, Mesquite, South Valley, and GPS Global Academy, took time throughout August to tour different Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at Gilbert High School, witnessing firsthand how CTE blends academics with real-world skills.

Career and Technical Education enables students to explore various areas of occupational interest (career clusters), offering opportunities to earn industry certifications, participate in industry tours, and earn college credit while completing their high school diploma.

“When our Junior High Counselors know the opportunities available in CTE, they can help students connect their passions to possible careers, earn college credit and industry-recognized certifications, and launch into the workforce, regardless of pathway, with confidence and experience.” Says Renita Miller, Program and Workforce Development Coordinator at Gilbert Public Schools.

Gilbert Public Schools offers 21 CTE programs to over 5,500 high school students in Gilbert and Mesa, with classes located on the district's 5 comprehensive high school campuses. As Junior High Counselors learn more about all the opportunities that CTE courses can provide, they can help connect students' passions to possible careers. 

When junior high students arrive at high school, they are required to complete a minimum of two CTE/Fine Arts credits to graduate, in addition to their core academic subjects such as Math and English. Not only can CTE courses help students who enjoy hands-on learning, but they can also create meaningful connections between their core academics.

Students in Gilbert High School’s Agriscience program discussed how they felt more engaged in their Geometry classes after realizing how the concepts applied to their welding projects, creating a connection between their standard curriculum and real-world experiences. 

The Agriscience program offers certifications such as OSHA 10, Arizona Landscape Contractors Association, BASF Plant Science, and Elanco Fundamentals of Agriscience, along with dual-enrollment courses as well, where high school students gain community-college credits all within their school day. 

CTE Culinary student presenting their dish to a panel of Admin Judges

 Students within CTE programs in Gilbert Public Schools outperform state averages in graduation rates, which exceed 97%. Furthermore, over 75% of GPS CTE students successfully transition into postsecondary education, advanced training, military service, or employment within six months of program completion.

Gilbert Public School’s CTE programs all strive to ensure students gain both soft and hard skills throughout their time in the program, building standout experience to note on their future resumes and applications. 

To learn more about Gilbert Public Schools’ CTE programs, visit GilbertSchools.net/CTE.