Arizona, and especially Southern Arizona, have come a long way since the Great Recession.
As a state, we’ve added nearly 300,000 jobs since 2015. We’ve gone from a $1 billion deficit to a $1 billion surplus. This success is not just being felt in Maricopa County, but right here in Southern Arizona as well.
In December, an economist at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management forecast that the Tucson metro area was on pace to post the fastest job growth since 2006. And over the next two years, the Tucson metro area is forecast to add nearly 20,000 new jobs.
With more jobs on the way, we are working to ensure Arizonans have the skills needed to fill them.
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That’s where our high schools and community colleges can play an important role.
Recently, I visited Pima Community College’s Aviation Technology Center — a unique, nationally recognized program that trains students in aviation mechanics — along with Sens. Vince Leach, Victoria Steele and Andrea Dalessandro and Reps. Mark Finchem, Kirsten Engel, Randy Friese, Andrés Cano, Domingo DeGrazia and Alma Hernandez. It was incredible to see the high-tech, hands-on training students receive through this program, which is just one of two in the country that enables students to train using a retired Boeing 727 jet.
Employers recognize the value of this quality training. Right now, a majority of graduating students leave with multiple job offers.
With a program that clearly works, we thought: “Why not expand it?”
This year’s proposed budget makes a historic $20 million investment in the technology center. This investment expands the aviation program to serve 250 students and graduate 125 new, highly trained aircraft technicians a year — more than double its previous capacity.
This investment comes at a time of growth for the aviation sector, with jobs for aircraft mechanics and service technicians expected to grow 8 percent by 2024.
With an industry projecting needing 754,000 new airline maintenance technicians in the next 20 years and local employers like Bombardier, Boeing, Ascent Aviation, SkyWest Airlines and Universal Avionics hiring, there’s never been a better time to train in aviation mechanics.
But we aren’t just focusing on the aviation industry. We know industries from manufacturing, financial services, health care and more are looking for skilled workers right here in Tucson.
And where there is a demand, Arizona will be prepared to meet it.
When I was young, schools taught career-focused skills in a class called “shop.”
Today, the shop classes of the 21st century are called career and technical education, but the skills being taught are anything but old-fashioned.
On my recent visit, I also went to Desert View High School in the Sunnyside School District with State Rep. Daniel Hernandez to observe the innovative CTE programs offered there.
Whether it was agriscience, aviation, business, culinary arts, drafting and design, engineering or precision manufacturing, students in these programs are being trained for the jobs of tomorrow, all before leaving high school. This is a model Arizona should expand.
That’s why our proposed budget invests $10 million to create a CTE incentive program in high schools. The program provides a $1,000 payment to schools for each high school graduate who earns an approved industry certification.
The proposed budget makes these investments while remaining balanced and ensuring we are preparing Arizona for the unexpected and inevitable.
As our economy evolves, education needs to evolve with it. The role of policymakers will be to ensure students are prepared for success no matter what path they choose — college or a career. With CTE programs like those offered at Pima Community College and Desert View High School, Southern Arizona is well ahead of the game.
Arizona’s investment will ensure we keep this momentum going.
Gov. Doug Ducey
Doug Ducey is governor of Arizona.
