iCAT Career and Technical

Career and Technical Education Pathways are educational avenues for students to get a head start when going on to college or entering a career field right out of high school. CTE Pathway classes create a competitive advantage for students since the coursework aligns to current industry skills, standards and knowledge. Each of the programs in our district have state-of-art-equipment. Each CTE pathway consists of a collection of relevant and articulated elective high school classes that begin in either 9th or 10th grade. CTE classes include a mix of traditional classroom experiences and lots of hands-on learning. Within each pathway, students explore related careers and many pathways lead to industry certifications, postsecondary credits and/or an industry externship.

Students have the opportunity to participate in a Career and Technical Student Organization which provides students with opportunities to develop leadership skills as well as competition opportunities to showcase their CTE skills. These three- and four-year "pathways" of elective classes are designed to help students develop the technical and professional skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to successfully enter today's workforce and/or college with confidence and a more focused career direction. Each pathway is guided by a TAC (Technical Advisory Committee) and filled by committee members who are local employers and postsecondary college representatives that provide support in maintaining robust curriculum aligned to current industry practices.

Meet Our Team

Cindy Arnzen, Director

My name is Cindy Arnzen and I am the Career and Technical Education Director for the Nampa School District. This is my sixth year being in this position. Before entering in this position, I was a Business Education Teacher at Skyview High School in Nampa Idaho for the last thirteen years and before that I was at Horseshoe Bend for nine years. I have been a Business Professionals of America advisor for over 20 years. I received both my bachelor’s degree in Business Education and my master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Idaho. I’m excited to continue to promote the CTE programs we have in the Nampa School District as well as offer more industry certifications and dual credit opportunities to our students.