This year, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs declared September 2023 is Arizona Career Awareness Month. In the declaration, Hobbs outlined objectives of Arizona Career Awareness Month, which include:
- More opportunities for meaningful career exploration, planning and pathways for students to create awareness and interest in future careers.
- The ability for students to create a vision and goals for their future, including education plans in high school and postsecondary education that align with those goals.
- A greater impact to fill Arizona’s immediate and long-term workforce needs by creating a pipeline of skilled and trained workers.
Broadly, the proclamation and designated Arizona Career Awareness Month kick off the school year to help ensure students of all grade levels have “career readiness opportunities that are meaningful and relevant.” As a partner with the Arizona Coalition for Career Readiness, Pipeline AZ is thrilled to support Governor Hobbs’ proclamation and the increased awareness it brings to prepare future Arizona professionals to succeed in their careers of choice.
What Arizona Career Awareness Month Means for Students, Educators & Employers
As a beautiful state with ample job and lifestyle opportunities for residents, Arizona has created a high demand for talented workers to support diverse employers. As “Arizona Capitol Times” recently reported, the Office of Economic Opportunity shows Arizona’s job growth rate will outpace the expected overall U.S. average by more than 3 times. In-demand fields like information technology, healthcare, construction and architecture, transportation, education, food service, hospitality, human services and manufacturing are all experiencing worker shortages throughout the state.
Despite the shortages, there are residents who could fill those roles with the right training, as Arizona has one of the highest rates in the country for “opportunity youth”. This demographic characterizes those ages 16 to 24 years old who are neither working, nor in school. Early career development can help present opportunity youth with ways to find financial success and personal satisfaction.
Arizona Career Awareness Month spotlights the need for students to start thinking about their careers and the education to pursue to achieve them early on. Organizations like Junior Achievement of Arizona, the Arizona Business & Education Coalition, Education Forward Arizona, and the Center for the Future of Arizona provide in-school resources for students to consider their future careers. Educators receive support in teaching students about workforce possibilities and can present career pathway possibilities as early as primary school.
This helps create a funnel for students from Arizona high schools to explore postsecondary education in Arizona, whether that’s through trade and technical school, community college or a 4-year university. In postsecondary school, students and teachers have greater access to career resources, including open jobs in their desired field and location within the state.
As students gain the skills, training and credentials they need for employment, Arizona-based companies can strengthen their workforces. That means better economic opportunities for all Arizona residents, as the talent pipeline strengthens the entire Arizona economy.
Pipeline AZ Is a Proud Supporter of Arizona Career Awareness Month
Pipeline AZ is the tool the Arizona Coalition for Career Readiness, mentioned in Governor Hobbs’ proclamation, uses to support job seekers in Arizona. Students, educators and employers can use Pipeline AZ to:
- Post job opportunities in Arizona
- Find job opportunities in Arizona
- Compare educational opportunities in Arizona
- Take a free career assessment
- Find educator resources on how to connect Kindergarten through college students to career paths
Pipeline AZ serves nearly 300 schools and 70,000 students across Arizona. If you’re an educator who would like assistance presenting career resources to your students, contact Pipeline AZ to learn about our My Future AZ, College Pipeline AZ and Career Concierge Support platforms. My Future AZ is available to all Arizona public school districts and charter schools, and offers students the ability to create custom dashboards for career exploration, discovery and career development planning. Visit MyFutureAZ.PipelineAZ.com to learn more.
