Catalina Foothills High School preparing students for engineering career amongst shortage of engineers

CATALINA FOOTHILLS, Ariz. (KGUN) — Using a drill press, senior Ethan Cuthbertson used the skills he learned in his introduction to engineering class at Catalina Foothills High School to cut a hole through a block of wood.

“We drill holes and stuff into acrylics and we learn what goes with what,” Cuthbertson.

He’s hoping to become a structural or electrical engineer and said he has been learning the engineering design technology systems he needs for the job.

“You get basic knowledge of how to use spread sheets and mechanical principles of design,” he said.

While he’s already designing his future, he said his class encourages individuality.

“To work on our own and develop problem solving skills by ourselves,” he said.

Isabelle Bleakley is also a student at the high school and is learning things like how to use a 3D printer, read design plans and learn about measurements.

“The metric system and the SI units, that’s stuff that..it varies depending on where you work,” Bleakley said.

Students at the high school have the option of getting dual credit with the University of Arizona in their third course

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says between 2016 and 2026 there’s going to be about 139,000 new engineering jobs. However, they say between those years there’s still going to be a shortage of at least six million engineers.

The void of engineering jobs is what the students in the engineering program at the high school is hoping to fill.

“I hope that I can learn stuff that could help me teach others in the engineering community,” Bleakley.