Thirty years ago when the East Valley Institute of Technology opened its doors, EVIT became the first example of a solution to an Arizona problem: how to provide needed, but often expensive vocational education to high school students that would help meet the workforce needs of business and industry. Voters in East Valley school districts were the first in the state to agree to tax themselves and pool resources to form a Career Technical Education District, giving students the choice of receiving career training at an EVIT central campus focused on specific careers or at their high school. Eventually, Arizona would gain 13 more CTEDs, and the law would be expanded to allow CTEDs to also offer career training for adults.
EVIT and the other CTEDs have shown great promise and success beyond preparing students for entry level work. The high school graduation rate for Arizona’s CTED students is at least 20 percentage points higher than the state’s average rate of 78 percent. At EVIT, two out of three students go on to college, and enrollment in our adult post-secondary programs has grown by 54 percent since 2018. Many of our programs also have high completion rates – 95 percent in our Dental Assistant, Medical Assistant and Nursing Assistant programs. To put that in perspective, a report released last fall by the Arizona Board of Regents found that less than half of the state’s high school graduates are enrolling in two- or four-year college; the national rate is 66 percent. Of those who do enroll in college, only 27.4 percent actually complete a two- or four-year degree program.
The CTEDs are successful at keeping students in school so they earn a diploma and an industry certification because career and technical education engages students in learning that is relevant to what they want to do in life. Students who attend EVIT’s central campuses in Mesa say they like going there for two to four hours of training every day because their education is focused on the career field they want to go into, and they like learning alongside classmates who, like them, have chosen to be at EVIT.
We have many alumni whose decision to attend EVIT set them on the path to a successful career: Dr. Whitney McGinn, a massage therapy alumna who is now a doctor of physical therapy for the Barrow Neurological Institute; Taylor Izard, an aviation alumni and pilot for JetBlue Airways; veterinary assistant alumna Dr. Megan Farris, a Valley veterinarian – and so many more.
That’s the power of quality career and technical education combined with the power of school choice.
This week – National School Choice Week -- schools across the nation, including EVIT, have been celebrating the many education options available to elementary, middle school, junior high and high school students. In fact, EVIT was chosen by national organizers of this event to be the featured school in the national kickoff video, narrated by EVIT Commercial Baking & Pastry Arts student Vanessa Ruiz.
For three decades, EVIT has been proud to serve as a school of choice for the East Valley’s high school students and adults who want and need the option of attending a school that focuses on their career path. As Arizona continues to grapple with how to meet the growing needs of students and employers, EVIT is ready to evolve and grow so that all East Valley students – high school and adult -- have education options that work best for them.
Dr. Chad Wilson is the superintendent of the East Valley Institute of Technology, a Career Technical Education District providing advanced career training to high school students and adults in the East Valley.
