Enrollment is open for a new high school designed to help students earn workforce certification and training in fields ranging from culinary arts to health care to automation.
Innovation Tech High School, a joint effort between the Tucson Unified School District and the Pima County Joint Technical Education District, will open its doors Aug. 6.
The school will focus on technical careers and won’t offer fine arts or sports, said TUSD’s Patricia Hurley, who will serve as a joint principal with JTED’s Mario Castro. But Innovation Tech will teach soft skills that fit any career, including time management and getting along with coworkers, Castro said.
“Certification is important. Getting your diploma is important,” Castro said. “But I think those intangible things are also important to us, so that you can leave us ready to go for your next step in life.”
Other fields of study available include 3-D animation, game design, robotics, engineering, aviation, drone operation and more. Students will also have the option of taking additional classes in the evening to focus on more than one JTED pathway and earn more than one certification.
“When you walk across our graduation stage, you’ll be able to have a diploma in one hand and a certification in another hand that allows you to go right over to Raytheon and start working or working in a career field that you decided to focus on,” Hurley said.
Enrollment slots are available for 400 students — 100 for each grade level. The school is on Tucson’s south side at 3300 S. Park Ave, though there are no attendance boundaries.
There won’t be traditional busing to the school, but students within TUSD boundaries who live two miles or more away from the campus will get a Sun Tran bus pass. There may also be express shuttles, with options listed on the school’s website, tusd1.org/intech, in the near future, Hurley said.
For more information about enrollment, go to tucne.ws/tusdenroll or email Hurley at Patricia.Hurley@tusd1.org.
The school is still looking to hire several educators, including those who teach computer science, math, physical education (only offered online), Spanish and other positions that are through JTED. To apply, go to jobs.tusd1.org/jobs.
