Now is the time to ensure Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities are abundant in Arizona high schools. Through these real-world work experiences, we can ensure that our education system is keeping pace with the changing labor market, preparing students for the high-skill, high-wage jobs of the future.
The Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation’s education initiative, ElevateEdAZ’s Education to Workforce Learning Pathways Landscape Analysis found that student participation and completion of education-to-career experiences do not align with labor market demand and earning potential.
Arizona must bridge this gap by equipping students with skills aligned to the needs of our workforce if we want to prepare young people for good careers and provide businesses with the talent they need to thrive.
That is why leaders across our region are working to help deliver high-quality pathways and work-based learning opportunities to Arizona students, preparing them to enter high-demand, high-wage careers.
Specifically, we are leveraging our partnerships to create job shadow opportunities for high school students. However, these opportunities are dependent upon our business’ willingness to participate in proactively cultivating a prosperous talent pipeline.
To close the skills gap, the business community must engage with high schools more closely; one way to do this is by hosting students for job shadow experiences that are aligned to their CTE program of study. A job shadow is a structured workplace visit that is designed to engage students by connecting classroom learning with practical business and industry observations and experiences. This caliber of education-to-career exposure undoubtedly helps students develop the skills and relationships necessary to thrive in our state’s high-demand professions.
By preparing our future workforce early on, and engaging with students on a business, educational, and community level we can ensure that they will graduate ready prepared to pursue post-secondary education or enter our evolving labor market with the skills required by the jobs of the future.
Let’s invest in tomorrow’s workforce, today. Complete the Business Partner Engagement Form for more details.
Authors:
- Mesa Mayor John Giles
- Andi Fourlis, Superintendent, Mesa Public Schools
- Sally Harrison, President & CEO, Mesa Chamber of Commerce
- Todd Sanders, President & CEO, Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation