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DESERT VIEW HIGH SCHOOL
Desert View student Yersemi Moore.
MLANUFACTURING COMES TOGETHER AT DESERT VIEW
ocated in a peaceful Tucson, Arizona suburb, There is a popular saying about it taking a village Desert View High School has distinguished to raise a child and in Gutierrez’s case, it has taken itself as a means for the area’s teenagers to a manufacturing community to raise his students’
obtain not just a quality education, but also to take capabilities to the point where they have a productive
the first steps toward a rewarding career in advanced manufacturing. While not seeming especially interesting at first, because many high schools across the country value their progressive curricula, it should be noted that the Desert View is rooted in a primarily low-income Hispanic community where both parents work to sustain the household. Until recently, opportunities for the area’s youth were served from a menu of questionable activities. Jobs beyond those considered minimum wage were few and far between.
Today, Desert View serves as a model for high schools, leading students step-by-step into a high paying workforce. One person is most responsible for this Arizona “awakening.” His name is Cesar Gutierrez, the school’s Precision Manufacturing teacher, who set about over four years ago to create a CAD/CAM program designed to attract students and hold their interest through graduation and beyond.
future. “There are forty-two manufacturing companies in Arizona’s Pima County area that came together as Southern Arizona Manufacturing Partners to promote their industry among students, teachers, and parents,” says Gutierrez. “They found that senior employees were retiring, with many more planning to retire in the near future, and there was not enough of a potential labor force to replace them.” Their solution was to be proactive with the Pima County Community College and the local high schools, Desert View among them. Their mission is to produce a highly trained, nationally accredited workforce to fill today’s manufacturing jobs.
“The very first time I met with the Partnership representatives, I knew we were going to have a good future together,” says Gutierrez. “I could tell they were serious about challenging our kids to follow a path to a rewarding career, while at the same time, assuring their own business future. One of the first things they did was introduce
36 www.CNC-West.com CNC WEST October/November 2020
Article & Photos Supplied by Lynn Gorman Communications LLC