Local opinion: We know what students want to do — can we get them there?

At Pipeline Connects, we don’t have to guess what young people are interested in. We can see it in the data.

Across Arizona, Pipeline Connects works with more than 600 schools, giving us a unique view into how students are thinking about their futures and how those interests align with the workforce needs of their communities. In Pima County alone, we connect more than 30,000 K–12 students across 240 schools.

What those students are telling us matters. Among their most-favored industries are healthcare, construction and architecture, and law, public safety and corrections — many of the same sectors where Pima County is working to build its future workforce.

We can also see the connection beginning to happen. Seventy-one percent of college students connected through Pipeline Connects are enrolled in a high-demand field related to their interests. Meanwhile, 225 Pima County employers have registered with Pipeline Connects and posted nearly 1,400 occupational roles.

That gives us visibility into both sides of the equation: what students want to pursue and where our economy needs talent.

The challenge is what happens in between.

A student can discover an interest in healthcare, construction, public safety, advanced manufacturing or technology, but career awareness alone does not prepare someone for a career. Students need opportunities to develop skills, experience the work, earn credentials and continue their education and training.

That is why the current conversations surrounding Pima JTED’s Proposition 427 and Pima Community College’s Proposition 430 are important to Pima County’s broader workforce conversation.

Proposition 427 would provide Pima JTED with funding to expand Career and Technical Education facilities, equipment and technology in areas including healthcare, construction, welding, automotive, law and public safety, engineering, robotics and manufacturing. JTED reports that enrollment has grown 77% over the past five years and that 600-800 students annually have been placed on waiting lists because there is not enough space to serve them.

Proposition 430 would provide Pima Community College with funding to modernize aging facilities and expand capacity in high-demand fields, including public safety and first responders, cybersecurity and information technology, STEM and teacher education. The goal is simple. More capacity to prepare more students for the jobs our region needs.

These are two separate ballot measures and two separate institutions. But from a workforce perspective, they are parts of the same continuum.

A middle school student may discover an interest in healthcare. In high school, that student can begin developing technical skills through CTE and JTED. After graduation, Pima Community College may provide the credential, certification, degree or advanced technical training that moves that student closer to employment.

The same continuum exists in construction, public safety, advanced manufacturing, technology and other industries.

This is the work Pipeline Connects focuses on every day: connecting career exploration, education and training, and employers.

Our data gives us visibility into student interest. Our partnerships give us visibility into education and training opportunities. And our work with employers gives us visibility into where industries need talent.

What we continue to see is that awareness alone isn’t enough.

More than 30,000 Pima County students are already exploring what they want their futures to look like. Employers are telling us where they need talent. The question is whether we have enough education and training capacity in between to connect the two.

As Pima County voters consider Propositions 427 and 430, that is the workforce question worth considering: Do we have the infrastructure and capacity to turn student interest into skills, credentials and economic opportunity?

The students are already telling us what interests them. Employers are telling us what they need. The opportunity in front of Pima County is to strengthen the connections between them.