February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, the ideal time to recognize the exceptional CTE programs offered by Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD). These robust programs provide students with comprehensive preparation for both the workforce and higher education.
“SUSD students are fortunate to have 18 different CTE pathways offered across the five high schools,” explained Amy Downs, SUSD’s Director of College and Career Readiness. “Every campus has at least one Healthcare pathway, such as Sports Medicine, and at least one STEAM pathway, such as Digital Publishing, Technical Theater or Engineering. All SUSD’s CTE programs embed academic standards as well as technical and professional standards. When students complete a CTE program, they are eligible for an internship and a graduation distinction, as well.”
Current CTE programs SUSD offers include: Biotechnology, Business Operations, Coding & Software Development, Criminal Justice, Culinary, Engineering & Design, Digital Publishing, Film & TV Production, Technical Theatre, Finance, Graphic Design, Hospitality, Marketing, Music & Audio Production, Networking & Cybersecurity, Nursing and Sports Medicine.
“The largest misconception is that CTE is not an academic program or that CTE is for students that aren’t college-bound,” Downs clarified. “CTE is valuable to all students, college-going or not. CTE provides technical skills for any job or college applicant to gain a competitive advantage. CTE had a recent Engineering student from Saguaro get hired at a local HVAC company based on obtaining a Solidworks Certification with SUSD. The employer is now paying for college courses in welding and other areas that will grow the skills of that wonderful student.”
“Next fall, we hope to open a new Business Management pathway in conjunction with SCC and the Entrepreneurship Hub at Coronado High School,” Downs added. “This will allow CTE students to operate a school-based business and learn the ins and outs of starting their own business, all while obtaining college credit.”
In addition, some CTE programs are nearly exclusive to SUSD.
“SUSD is also one of a handful of districts that offers the finance pathway,” she continued. “Learning about personal finance and the principles of commerce are important to all citizens. It also helps students achieve the Arizona Seal of Personal Finance on their diploma.”
Dollars and Sense: The Finance Pathway
Mason Renfer, the Career & Technical Education instructor of Business and Finance at Chaparral High School, made the transition from banking and finance to education in 2020. He now teaches the Finance CTE Pathway.
“Chaparral’s finance class teaches students to be financially successful in life,” Renfer said. “Regardless of what they choose for a career, students benefit from learning financial literacy. We start the curriculum where they are currently in life and then move through topics as they’re most likely to happen: building a strong resume, interviewing skills, new-hire paperwork, banking, budgeting, investing, taxes, loans, and consumer protections.”
“I often hear from parents that they wish finance were a class when they were in high school, and I agree,” he continued. “Financial literacy is more important than ever in an era of rising costs. Time is the students' most significant asset and I want to teach them how to take advantage of it.”
Renfer said that his classes vary quite a bit and many of the projects are group-based and mix in real-world experience from his private sector experience.
“My classes are open to sophomores through seniors,” he explained. “However, Chaparral does have another business class called Tech Fundamentals for Business that is available to our freshmen. SUSD offers many different CTE class options for our students in every grade.”
CTE Pathways Benefit Students
Regardless of whether students take finance courses, Renfer said he hopes that students and their families take advantage of the district’s CTE offerings.
“I feel fortunate to be a part of the CTE team at Chaparral and SUSD,” he said. “The classes SUSD offers, such as business, engineering, criminal justice, culinary, sports medicine, etc., are all extremely valuable. We should be encouraging our students to try as many subjects as possible so that they may find a career they are passionate about.”
“CTE is vital for students to explore the world of work and prepare for their post-secondary plans, be it college, apprenticeship, or direct entry to the workforce,” Downs added.
“All SUSD CTE programs have an industry certification available at no cost to eligible students. Certifications recognize technical skills, as does the Arizona Department of Education’s Technical Skills Assessment, administered at the completion of a program. This helps students gain employment. What students learn in CTE will always be relevant, regardless of AI or other future technologies.”
To learn more about SUSD’s CTE offerings, visit susd.org/departments/cte/programs.
SUSD is a member of the Queen Creek Sun Times Preferred Business Program.
