HISD Expanding Access to 16 High-Demand Career Programs Through Barbara Jordan Career Center

Houston ISD is expanding its Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings for students at ten high schools through the Barbara Jordan Career Center, the district's centralized hub for industry-aligned career training. Starting next school year, Furr, Heights, Sam Houston MSTC, Kashmere, North Forest, Northside, Waltrip, Booker T. Washington, Mickey Leland, and Wheatley High School students will now have access to 16 programs of study beyond what is available at these schools. 

The changes will enable students to begin career training as early as ninth grade, reduce waitlists for popular programs, and provide access to state-of-the-art facilities, equipping students with skills that will carry them into the workforce or post-secondary education after graduation. 

“We know that too many of our graduates historically are not earning a living wage when they leave high school,” Gillian Quinn, executive director of Career and Technical Education said. “We believe that every HISD graduate deserves as many pathways to a life of financial choice as possible.” 

What’s changing? 

Students will be dropped off at their home campus, and the district will provide daily transportation to BJCC two to three times per week, including accommodations for special education students. Parents’ responsibilities will not change.

Enrollment at the BJCC will grow from its current 906 to nearly 4,000 in the 2028-29 school year. To ensure that classes remain small, the center will operate in staggered shifts. Roughly 900 to 1,000 students will be on campus at a time.

In some instances, BJCC might serve as a way to serve more students than a home campus can accommodate. For example, every year students wanting to join the popular Northside High School Culinary Arts program are waitlisted. BJCC will open more seats for more incoming students.

What’s new at BJCC? 

The District aims to transform the BJCC into a modern hub for innovation that mirrors the technologies and practices of tomorrow’s industries. The draft expansion over the next four years includes redesigned instructional spaces and the addition of specialized facilities such as a manufacturing lab, robotics lab, and an outdoor drone area. 

These upgrades are designed to house state-of-the-art equipment, such as electric vehicle charging stations and plasma cutting machines, which are often too costly to maintain on individual campuses.

Automechanic instructor Emanuel Nuna, who is also an alumnus of the program, said that specialized automotive equipment like tire balancers, cranes, and multiple vehicle lifts provide  students a "stepping stone for a much better fundamental understanding for their career.” 

“Starting for ninth graders, it's really great because you have four years of experience [to use] when you're trying to apply for a job,” he said. 

What’s being offered? 

The programs of study for the 2026-27 school year at the BJCC were decided based on findings from the education nonprofit Contigo Ed, which determined the following 16 fields produce jobs with a living wage of more than $45,000, including:

• IT: Cyber Security and Networking
• Engineering: Manufacturing, Drone, and Robotics (to be offered starting the 2027-28 school year) 
• Health: Diagnostic and Therapeutics, Health Informatics, and Pharmacy 
• Human Services: Culinary and Teaching and Training 
• Trades: Automotive, Construction, Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing, and Welding

The study also shows these career clusters offer annual job openings of over the “demand threshold” of 291 openings, a number that ensures students can actually secure employment once they graduate.

District leaders said the career-focused path does not come at the expense of college readiness, noting that students will still be tracked for advanced math, reading, and science courses to ensure they have the option to pursue higher education or the trades. 

Brisa Bustos, a culinary senior from Furr High School, has already earned a ServSafe certificate at BJCC, which secured her a job where she was promoted to a trainer in less than a year. Having received a scholarship to Johnson and Wales University, she plans to pursue a degree in culinary arts and beverage management.

"My love for culinary has grown so much to the point where I am pursuing my career into that,” Bustos said. ”My plans after [graduation] is to keep working and open my own restaurant.” 

Similarly, Bryan Orellana, a welding student from Booker T. Washington High School, intends to use the Marvy Finger Family Foundation Scholarship to attend Houston City College (HCC), where his head start at BJCC will allow him to specialize in automobile welding. His long-term career goal is to become a foreman at a major company, specializing in high-demand and lucrative fields such as pipe fitting or pipe welding. 

He views the expansion of the BJCC as a vital opportunity for younger students to build an even stronger fundamental standing for their future careers.

“I am really glad that new students and younger students can be able to have a much longer career here,” he said. 

Changes for Incoming Ninth Graders

The Contigo Ed study showed that Graphic Design, Entrepreneurship, and Cosmetology did not average a living wage. These programs will no longer be offered to ninth graders starting in the 2026-27 school year. However, current students will have the opportunity to complete their program through graduation. 

While the programs will be phased out, key skills from those pathways will be integrated into higher-demand offerings such as Marketing, Digital Communications, and skilled-trades programs. Schools have the option to transition those subjects into electives or extracurriculars. 

“The subjects that will be phased out will not go away,” Quinn said. “We're working with principals on identifying the courses… that are really important to their schools, and then saying, how do we keep that even though we might be cutting the program of study.” 

Looking ahead

By uniting with more than 300 workforce experts through its specialized council, HISD is forging a direct pipeline to the 2035 global economy. This modernization of the Barbara Jordan Career Center ensures that high-impact learning experiences—including internships, externships, and new student-led businesses—become the standard for nearly 4,500 students by 2028.

Ultimately, the district ensures that every graduate is empowered with a life of financial choice, providing a clear, high-wage pathway to economic opportunity the moment they cross the graduation stage.