AURORA ~ Colorado Gov. Jared Polis joined Aurora Public Schools, the Community College of Aurora and UCHealth to break ground on a new health sciences high school funded through a 2024 bond approved by Aurora voters.

The school is expected to open next year, giving Aurora students opportunities for hands-on health sciences learning and exposure to healthcare careers, according to the announcement.

The program will serve students in grades 9 through 14 through the Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools model. Students will be able to earn a high school diploma, an industry-recognized associate degree and workplace skills, the announcement said.

The school will offer five career and technical education pathways: nursing, behavioral health, medical imaging, surgical technology and respiratory therapy. It will not require a minimum GPA or entrance exam, according to the announcement.

Aurora Public Schools Superintendent Michael Giles Jr. said the partnership would allow students to explore healthcare careers, earn credentials and college credit, and build pathways into the industry.

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UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital President and CEO Tom Gronow said working with UCHealth clinicians would help students apply classroom lessons and consider career options after high school.

Community College of Aurora President Mordecai Brownlee said the collaboration would connect school and college instruction with healthcare careers and help prepare workers for the region.

Polis said the school would help prepare students for healthcare careers and support Colorado's healthcare workforce.

The announcement cited state programs that support technical education and training. Career Advance Colorado, created by a 2023 law signed by Polis, helps cover tuition, fees and course materials for short-term programs in fields with workforce shortages, including healthcare. It builds on Care Forward Colorado, which covers costs for entry-level healthcare programs at community and technical colleges.

The announcement also cited projections of a U.S. shortage of nearly 3 million healthcare workers over the next five years and said Colorado hospitals and health systems employ about 91,000 people.

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