SUHSD College & Career Readiness

Sweetwater Union High School District prides itself in supporting all students' learning and growth towards college and career. Our College and Career Department's mission is to empower students with the practical skills, knowledge, and experiences necessary to thrive in their chosen college and/or career paths. Through innovative, hands-on learning opportunities, we foster a culture of lifelong learning, critical thinking, and adaptability, preparing students to excel in a rapidly evolving workforce and contribute positively to their communities.

A pathway is unique to an Industry Sector, it has an occupational focus, consists of similar functions, includes standards that demonstrate sequence potential, and is reasonable and appropriate for high school students. Each school site offers different pathways. To learn more about what pathways are at which high school sites, visit our website: https://ccr.sweetwaterschools.org/cte-pathways/

We are happy to announce that CTE will be highlighting 5 of the 11 industry sectors currently offered in our district to be released in May 2024. Our goal will be to highlight the rest of the industry sectors in the Fall of 2024. The highlighted programs for May 2024 include:

• Arts, Media, and Entertainment
• Building and Construction Trades
• Engineering and Architecture
• Health Science and Medical Technology
• Hospitality and Tourism

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @suhsd_ccr and stay tuned for the finished video production.

CTE hosted a total of 3 Stakeholder meetings for the 2023-2024 academic year. In our December meeting we had 80 teachers, industry partners, and post-secondary partners in attendance. Teachers and our guests had the opportunity to discuss each pathway program. This was a great opportunity for our industry partners to inform our teachers about industry updates, trends, and provide recommendations for each pathway's curriculum. Our last Stakeholder meeting took place in March 2024 at Southwestern Community College (SWC). Those in attendance learned about the Athletic Training and Drone programs.

If you would like to engage with one of our industry sectors to provide additional supports in the form of advisories, please contact Antonio Gutierrez, CTE Project Manager at antonio.gutierrezjr@sweetwaterschools.org

Career Technical Education (CTE) at SUHSD focuses on preparing students for local high need industry sectors while preparing our students to become active and productive members in our community. CTE courses are part of a program of study that involves a multiyear sequence of courses that integrates core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge, and provides students with a pathway to postsecondary education and careers.

We have various local community industry partners that support students' work based learning experiences through field trips, guest speakers, job shadows, internships, and mentorships.

Work-based learning experiences are educational activities that allow students to gain real-world, hands-on experience in a professional work environment relevant to their field of study or career interests. These experiences can take various forms, including internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, field trips, guest speakers, and mentorships. Work-based learning experiences provide students with the opportunity to apply classroom learning in practical settings, develop essential workplace skills, explore career options, build professional networks, and gain valuable insights into industry practices and expectations.

If your organization would like to provide our students with work based learning experiences, please complete the Google Form linked below.

https://forms.gle/L5NHmj1e1qP3KbVZ7

Compact for Success is a partnership between Sweetwater Union High School District and San Diego State University (SDSU). The program provides a clear pathway for students to pursue higher education by offering guaranteed admission to SDSU into non-impacted programs for eligible students who meet specified academic criteria. The program is designed to encourage and support students in pursuing college degrees, thereby promoting educational equity and accessibility. This semester, 11th grade students eligible for the Compact for Success have visited SDSU to learn more about campus life and the array of academic programs.

The College & Career Readiness department will continue to support organize these field trips during the second semester.

For additional information please visit our website: https://ccr.sweetwaterschools.org/compact-for-success/

Students have the opportunity to continue their education at various local San Diego Community Colleges. SUHSD partners with Southwestern Community College to provide students with campus tours and opportunities for our students to interact with faculty members through their College Open House and through College and Career Access Pathway (CCAP) courses.

Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) provides a wide range of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) activities and programs to enhance student learning experiences. STEAM is engaging, hands-on, project with integrated content standards and 21st century industry skills for the common goal of preparing a community of capable and competitive workforce.

Students had the opportunity to perform for our community. Students performed in the choir's Holiday Sing, Mariachi Holiday Night, Baile Folklorico, and District Art Show Gala among other events.

Last year we had about 100 community partners (schools and industries) at this event. The College Fair & Career Expo is open to all students and parents in our district. Students, parents, and staff have the opportunity to learn more about opportunities after high school through these 1:1 interactions with representatives from industry and colleges.

If you would like to participate in this community event next year, scan the QR Code below and complete the Google Form to sign-up to table at this community event.

We have up to 2,000 students and parents that attend this in-person event.

If you are interested in preparing our students for College & Career, please email us.