Tour Gives a Hint of the Future
As a district of choice, HISD offers rich and specialized programs to all of its students. One of those programs is the Houston Innovative Learning Zone (HILZ), in which students at six campuses can earn associate’s degrees and career training in technical fields.
Recently, students at Jane Long had the opportunity to tour a pharmacy tech lab at Houston Community College. The tour exposed them to what a pharmacy technician does on a daily basis, which is a valuable tool in their decision to pursue the career. Pharmacy technicians typically earn more than $50 per hour in this area, and there is a projected 23% increase in employment growth through 2018. Jane Long Principal Marcy Baez says the program inspires her students to become intensely involved — coming to school on weekends and staying late.
And at Scarborough High School, which has a Network and Computer Administration Academy, Principal Jason Catchings says his students are getting some great opportunities to work part time at local IT companies for $20-$30 per hour.
Thanks to the HILZ partnership with Houston Community College, HISD has been able to bolster its portfolio of Career and Technology Education options. But we’re not stopping there. It’s the goal of the district to build on this progress and offer an even broader array of options to students interested in gaining important skills that will land them jobs right out of high school.
To see more on how the HILZ programs are benefiting students in HISD, watch this segment of HISD Up Close, hosted by Board President Michael Lunceford.
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