TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On Friday, 16-year-old, Elena Chanes, cut a red ribbon to officially open Pima JTED's Innovative Learning Center at The Bridges.
"I'm in the robotics program during the day. I also take two night classes, which are the drone program and the engineering program," said Chanes.
Chanes is one of around 800 high school students taking classes at the new center. Pima JTED offers hands-on training in a variety of career and technical fields.
"We were actually open a year ago, but the students were not in session in person all of last year. It was off-and-on in a hybrid mode. This Fall is really the grand opening of this campus," said Pima JTED Superintendent, Kathy Prather.
After graduation, students are ready to enroll in higher education or enter the workforce. Many will have the opportunity to land jobs in Tucson at companies like Raytheon.
"We've committed $100,000 to support JTED. As Raytheon continues to grow in the community, it's incredibly important for us to reach out and partner with the educational institutes to help grow the next generation of employees for our business," said Raytheon Vice President of Operations and Security, Allen Couture.
The entire campus cost $17 Million to build. Prather said it is a worthy investment in the future of Tucson.
"This is what we consider Tucson's flagship for the future, for our community and for the future careers of our young people. We're really excited," said Prather.
To learn more about Pima JTED, click here.
