The next generation of criminal justice experts in El Paso began their journey into the profession on Tuesday night during a pinning ceremony at Canutillo High School.
Nearly 30 incoming Canutillo High School freshmen were officially inducted into the new P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) Criminal Justice program that will allow them to earn an associates degree, training and important industry certifications all while completing their high-school course.
The group will be the first cohort of students to enter the rigorous program, which is a partnership between Canutillo ISD and El Paso Community College. P-TECH classes will begin in the fall with a group of incoming freshmen.
P-TECH is designed to benefit students seeking careers in law enforcement, criminal justice, and law.
“This is part of the innovation we have become known for here in Canutillo ISD,” said Superintendent Dr. Pedro Galaviz. “P-TECH offers our students the opportunity and choice to get a head start on their chosen profession while at the same time giving their parents an economic break on the cost of post-secondary training and education.”
Thanks to the partnership with EPCC, students in the P-TECH program will earn dual-credit courses in criminal justice during their four years in high school. At the end of the program, they will have earned enough credits to earn an associate’s degree and be halfway through completing a bachelor's degree.
The students also will earn important industry certifications through instruction and training from both the CISD Career & Technical Education staff and the CISD Police Department. The certifications will allow them to be workforce ready upon high school graduation and increase their earning potential to well above the average for an 18 year old in the region.
“When it’s all said and done, a family can save up to $25,000 in college tuition and certification training,” Galaviz said. “Additionally, the graduates will have a median income of more than $65,000 a year. That’s transformative.”
The students on Tuesday were pinned into the program by the two CTE instructors who will lead the P-TECH courses. Each student, along with his or her parents, also signed an agreement to remain committed to the rigorous instruction that is part of P-TECH.
For more information about the P-TECH Criminal Justice program visit
www.canutillo-isd.org and click on the P-TECH banner.