EVIT News Parents Can Use - November 2020

EVIT News Parents Can Use - November 2020
Posted on 11/30/2020
EVIT News Parents Can Use - November 2020Hello, EVIT parents! This is the second in a series of monthly newsletters to give you more information about the East Valley Institute of Technology and how your son or daughter can get the most out of their career and technical education. Today’s topic: Have a plan.

Plan to pay a little now -- or pay more later
Many students graduate from high school without a plan. They don’t want to go to college. They don’t have a job lined up. So when they start looking for some kind of career training, they end up paying for something they could have gotten for no to little cost during high school. EVIT is tuition-free for all high school students in the East Valley. While it can be challenging for some students to fit EVIT into their schedule, consider this: If you take Cosmetology as a high school student at EVIT, you’ll pay $300 in program fees the first year and $235 in fees for the second year -- but no tuition; if you take it at a private post-secondary beauty school after you graduate, you’ll pay anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000. Interested in a career in Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning? High school students at EVIT pay $275 each of two years in program fees -- but no tuition. For the same training at a private post-secondary HVAC school, they would pay up to $19,000.

Avoid falling behind on credits
Most EVIT programs are currently two-year programs. Students attend for a half-day. This means they spend a full year of their high school years at EVIT. So it’s important to plan ahead and get as many required high school courses out of the way earlier – rather than loading up on electives as freshmen and sophomores – to attend EVIT later without falling behind on credits required for graduation. If your student has realized now that they are going to be short on credits, they should contact EVIT counselors to see if they can help them figure out how to get in everything they need.

For the past few years, Gov. Doug Ducey and the Legislature have also provided funding in the state budget for CTED Completer Grants. This money is for students who graduate from high school before finishing their EVIT program. If they have completed half of the program, they may be able to return to EVIT as an adult student tuition-free the next year to finish their training. We will know in the spring if the CTED Completer Grants will be funded again.

Consider Adult Education @ EVIT as a post-secondary plan
EVIT currently offers a dozen adult career training programs at affordable, competitive tuition-rates: Aesthetics, Collision Repair, Cosmetology, George Brazil Plumbing Service & Repair Technician, Emergency Medical Technician, Massage Therapy, Nursing Assistant, Practical Nurse, Sterile Processing Technician, Surgical Technology, Welding and Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration.
 
These are not only good programs for adults who need career training, but can also help your student boost their skills and number of certifications earned if they would like to return as an adult student. For example, if your student is completing a health program this year as a high school student, they might sign up for another health program as an adult student next year. Some combinations we often see: A Nursing Assistant student gets their CNA and then returns to take Practical Nurse as an adult to get an LPN license; a student who completes the Cosmetology program returns as an adult to take Aesthetics or Massage Therapy. Adults can also enroll as tuition-paying students in EVIT’s high school programs if space is available.

Taylor’s story
Taylor Smith had a plan when she enrolled at EVIT as a high school junior. In two years, she completed EVIT’s Emergency Medical Technician program, earned her EMT license and dual enrollment college credit, and is now working two jobs in the health-care industry to help pay her way through college at the University of Arizona, where she is a pre-med major. Her ultimate goal: Become a surgeon for Doctors Without Borders. Read Taylor’s inspiring story: https://bit.ly/34QB4nd

A school of choice
Students often tell us that one of the things they love the most about EVIT is that EVIT students choose to be here. It’s not just another class to fill out a schedule. They enjoy being at a school with classmates and teachers who share their interest and passion for a particular career or industry. If you know of other families with students who would thrive by being in such a school of choice, we hope you will share with them that we are now enrolling for the 2021-22 school year. They can get the process started by going to www.evit.com/enroll.

And if you’re on social media, feel free to share our promotional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Bl8_axa8w

EVIT parents, we appreciate your support!

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EVIT changes lives by loving our students and serving our community.