EMMETT, Idaho — In a time when college is a little too pricey for many Idaho families, this Emmett school teaches students skills in welding, auto repairs, the medical field, and even flying drones! I'm your Emmett neighborhood reporter, Alexander Huddleston, taking you inside the Payette River Regional Technical Academy.
"I'm not here to get kids college-ready, I'm here to get them career-ready," exclaimed Superintendent Patrick Goff.
Shaking his head, senior Brenner Warren said, "The trajectory would be a lot different for all of us."
Just off highway 16, going into Emmett, sits the Payette River Regional Technical Academy, or PR2TA, a career technical school that shows 6th through 12th graders other avenues available after graduating high school.
"Vocational education was always done for ‘those kids,’ and it was always kids who weren't going to go to school, and then it was almost like a stigma," shrugged Goff.
A stigma that Goff wants to stop. He tells me these programs are for everyone.
RELATED: Treasure Valley's high-speed growth needs more journeymen trade labor
The superintendent continued, "When every one of these students graduates, they will have capstones and certifications to get themselves a job."
Students can build on engineering skills, learn their way around a kitchen, fix up their cars, learn how to be future broadcasters, or even become certified phlebotomists. Some students are already certified to draw blood, and two already have jobs lined up at Valor Health.
"This saves us so much money in the long run, because we don't have to go and spend thousands of dollars when we take these classes later in college," said Sierra Griffith, one of the seniors who will work at Valor Health after graduation.
Warren added, "To have that experience now, when we have better mentoring, is just a good place to start."
It is all about making school fun for everyone while getting the best opportunities available, no matter if they choose to continue their education or jump right into the workforce.
Goff says that these types of jobs can be as lucrative as they are fulfilling. "There are jobs for everyone. So if you find your interest, you never work a day in your life because you are doing what you love."
