The EVIT Radio/Audio Production program made an impression on Jason Richey when he was just in seventh grade.

“When I took a tour of the program … it felt like the perfect mix of real-world experience and fun,” he said. “I saw experiences that you cannot get anywhere else, and it was right up my alley.”

Now in his second year at the East Valley Institute of Technology, the Perry High School senior is one of about 6,000 East Valley high school students and Phoenix-area adults filling EVIT’s Main and Power campuses to train for careers in broadcasting, health care, culinary arts and much more. For a complete list of programs, visit www.evit.com.

EVIT just finished the first quarter of 2023-24, but in a few weeks on Nov. 1, enrollment will start for 2024-25. District officials expect programs to fill up as fast as they did for this year.

“Our growth can be attributed to a number of things,” said Superintendent Dr. Chad Wilson. “Many students and parents have realized that college is not the only path to a rewarding career, and during the pandemic, people discovered that industries such as health care, building trades, and automotive keep this country going. What we do is the fabric of the American dream.”

Wilson also attributed EVIT’s growing enrollment to educating middle school students about careers. That’s when Richey decided he would go to EVIT in high school. Students split their day between their school and an EVIT central campus, where they receive tuition-free career training.

“My career goals when I first joined the program were to become a play-by-play commentator or analyst for a sports team in TV or radio,” he said. “However, now that I’ve been here for a bit more than a year … I hope to go to business school and learn how to deal with finance and law, then land a job with a company in media as a communications manager.”

Two out of three EVIT students go on to college or other post-secondary education after completing their training, and many EVIT programs provide opportunities to earn college credit. Learn more: www.evit.com/dualenrollment.

Starting in January, EVIT also plans to offer its first associate degree program in Surgical Technology. Associate degree programs in nursing and paramedics are in development.

EVIT offers a dozen adult-only tuition-based postsecondary programs. Financial aid is available in most programs for those who qualify. There are also several ways students who graduate from high school next May can come to EVIT in 2024-25 as an adult student without paying tuition. In addition, the EVIT Foundation provides scholarships to high school students and adults who need assistance in paying their program fees.

“We never want finances to be a reason that someone can’t come to EVIT,” Wilson said.

In addition to the Surg Tech associate degree, EVIT plans to add two-semester internships to its Construction, HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical and Power Transmission Installation, Network Security, and Software and App Design programs next year.

Wilson said every change is to improve outcomes, whether students plan to go on to college or right into the workforce.

Like Richey, Madelyn Hadley is training in the Radio/Audio Production program, where she has her own show on EVIT’s radio station, 88.7FM The Pulse.

“I have the opportunity to have my own radio show on a live radio station as a high school student, which is extremely cool,” the Casteel High School senior said. “The possibilities are endless here at EVIT.”

Enrollment for 2024-25 starts on Nov. 1 at  www.evit.com/enrollnow.