By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – As teachers prepare classrooms and students gear up for a new school year, Pima County JTED is welcoming both new and returning students back to its main campus Monday afternoon—expecting its biggest enrollment since opening six years ago.
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Leaders say the district’s growing interest is tied to hands-on career training that gives high school students a pathway into jobs and long-term careers.
“When students thrive and succeed at JTED and CTE programs, they thrive and succeed in our community,” said Brice Menaugh, Pima JTED’s director of CTE program and innovation.
Hands-on programs across industries
Pima JTED offers a range of programs for students, including cosmetology, health care, veterinary sciences, and trade skills.
JTED leaders say 51 percent of the program’s curriculum requires hands-on learning—an approach they believe keeps students engaged and helps them build job-ready skills.
“Students appreciate doing, being engaged, using their hands,” Menaugh said.
He added the hands-on model can also help students translate coursework into real opportunities after graduation.
“It not only helps them understand the curriculum more but helps them be experts in it and then helps them get jobs and then move on to careers,” Menaugh said.
Welding instructor: students leave ready to work
At the Bridges Campus, Nick Castellini, a third-year welding instructor, said he has seen students move directly from the classroom into the workforce.
He said 10 of his previous students have successfully landed welding jobs right after graduation.
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“Out of all the students that have come to ask me to, you know, help them find a job, I don’t think I’ve let any of them down yet,” Castellini said. “The results are here and our industry partners are thrilled to be working with our students.”
Castellini also said hands-on learning can make a difference for students who don’t thrive in a traditional lecture setting.
“There’s always rising stars,” Castellini said. “You know, they come in and they’re really really shaky on the technical side of welding, but by the end of the year, they’ll be ready to work.”
He said the program is expected to keep growing next school year, and JTED plans to expand capacity to meet demand.
Expansion underway
JTED leaders say a new building now under construction will add space for current and newly added courses—allowing more students to enroll in programs across the campus.
How to enroll
If the program sounds like a good fit, JTED says enrollment for next year opens in January. Students can apply by working with their high school counselor and selecting courses that fit into their schedule.
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