Gov. Doug Ducey isn’t concerned about a recent report that shows the expected fastest growing job segment in Arizona doesn't require a high school education.
That report cited the job growth for those with little or no formal education will grow at a faster rate than those that require bachelor’s or master’s degrees.
Ducey says that's not necessarily a bad thing, citing a conversation with a college friend who now is an attorney in Prescott. "He called me up and said, 'Doug, we don't need any more lawyers. We need a plumber in Prescott. It's hard to find one,'" Ducey recalled. "And these jobs, these career and technical jobs, welders, plumbers, craftsmen, often times these are six figure jobs with a lot of flexibility. And there's so much scarcity in the marketplace."
The governor says there has been a well-intentioned push for students to go to college, but that service, career and technical jobs are just as important to the state’s economy.
Last year, Ducey signed a budget to cut career and technical education this coming school year by $30 million. He has since agreed to legislative demands to restore all but $1 million of that funding.