{"id":2395,"date":"2026-06-20T08:33:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T08:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2395"},"modified":"2026-06-20T08:33:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T08:33:30","slug":"cte-teachers-tour-tucson-optics-company-to-prepare-students-for-careers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2395","title":{"rendered":"CTE teachers tour Tucson optics company to prepare students for careers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Tucson companies are hiring students out of high school, and teachers are making sure students are ready.<\/p>\n

Read more Old Tucson\u2019s future uncertain as county considers several options<\/a><\/p>\n

Career and technical education teachers are touring industry sites this summer, learning about jobs and hands-on skills for students. Twenty-five teachers from Tucson schools and Pima JTED toured Edmund Optics, learning what skills students need to get hired.<\/p>\n

Jesus Armando Quintero-Sotelo was hired out of high school a few years ago. He said he was a typical high school student.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest, I didn\u2019t know what to do. I just played soccer, played video games, and that\u2019s all I did, you know,\u201d Quintero-Sotelo said.<\/p>\n

Then he started taking career and technical education classes at Pima JTED.<\/p>\n

\u201cCTE brings a lot of, \u2018Hey, you don\u2019t need the four years of university or college or the big depth that comes with it,\u2019\u201d Quintero-Sotelo said.<\/p>\n

Preparing students for local jobs<\/b><\/h3>\n

Career and technical education boosts graduation rates, but graduation is only the first step. Landing a job is a different challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a viewpoint that maybe there\u2019s not jobs in Tucson; that\u2019s what we hear. A lot of young people think, \u2018Oh maybe I\u2019ve gotta move,\u2019\u201d said William Brooks, Saguaro High automotive technologies instructor.<\/p>\n

Tucson is known globally for its optics industry. Edmund Optics said the company employs people with a high school diploma.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always looking for new employees, especially assemblers and technicians; it\u2019s really difficult to find them,\u201d said Virginia Figueroa, Edmund Optics production program manager.<\/p>\n

Read more PACC\u2019s Eastside Adoption Center to reopen as main facility hit by deadly disease outbreak<\/a><\/p>\n

Figueroa said that if teachers prepare them properly, high school graduates could fill these roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they know how to follow instructions on how to put Legos together, that\u2019s amazing. That\u2019s pretty good \u2013 following instructions is important,\u201d Figueroa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important for students to know there are lots of opportunities that may or may not involve higher education that do provide a livable wage,\u201d Brooks said.<\/p>\n

Quintero-Sotelo is proof it works. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis helps you get your career path much sooner, it helps you get a job much sooner, and helps you understand everything from the bottom up,\u201d Quintero-Sotelo said.<\/p>\n

Isabela Lisco<\/b><\/u><\/i> is a <\/i>Report for America<\/b><\/u><\/i> corpsmember covering education solutions for 13 News. Her position is made possible through funding from Report for America and the <\/i>Arizona Local News Foundation\u2019s<\/b><\/u><\/i> Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.<\/i><\/p>\n

Are you streaming 13 News?<\/p>\n

Watch a free live stream of Tucson Now and 13 News at TucsonNow.Live.<\/p>\n

Be sure to download the free Tucson Now app, which you can find on Apple and Google.<\/p>\n

If you are using a desktop computer, you can use your mobile device to scan the QR code below.<\/p>\n

Read more Young soccer fans in Tucson hopeful World Cup success will help sport grow<\/a><\/p>\n

You can submit your breaking news or weather images here.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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