Bend-La Pine, Redmond HS get big career-ed grants

In a major expansion of career readiness investment, 140 Oregon middle schools and high schools serving more than 90,000 students will receive Career and Technical Education (CTE) Revitalization Grants totaling $8.87 million, Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian and Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Rob Saxton announced Tuesday.

The CTE Revitalization Grant funds will benefit students, schools and local employers around the state in fields such as health care, advanced manufacturing, construction, engineering, agriculture, renewable energy technology and more.

The Bend-La Pine School District received $268,045 for a program, “Engineering the Future of Power and Energy.” Redmond schools received $474,955 for a program called “Manufacturing the Future of Redmond” (more in their release below).

“Oregon’s competitiveness is fundamentally linked to the availability of a skilled workforce,” said Avakian. “This is a huge win for students and our ability to support well-paying jobs around the state. Today’s announcement represents the most significant investment in career education and hands-on learning in a generation. More students will have access to 21st century shop classes and applied science, technology, engineering and mathematics instruction as a result.”

The applied learning of CTE programs helps develop both academic and technical skills and contributes to a rich and relevant learning experience. Graduation rates for students in CTE programs are near 90 percent, according to the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.

“As we strive to meet our state’s 40-40-20 goals and better prepare our students for college and career, strong programs in Career and Technical Education are essential,” said Saxton. “This year’s CTE Revitalization Grants will fund hands-on, applied learning opportunities in 140 schools all around our state and will help more of our students graduate with the skills they will need to succeed in higher education and the workforce.”

The CTE Revitalization Advisory Committee – comprised of representatives from organized labor, trade organizations, education and Oregon’s business community – reviewed 62 applications totaling $21.6 million in requests. A diverse coalition of advocates will seek to refill the grant fund during the 2014 Oregon legislative session as part of the larger effort to ensure that every middle school and high school has access to high-quality and engaging CTE programs.

The grants build on an earlier investment by the 2011 Legislature to bring back vocational programs to 21 middle schools and high schools with an initial investment of $2 million (HB 3362). During the 2013 Oregon legislative session, a bipartisan coalition sponsored and passed legislation (SB 498) that quadrupled the initial investment to extend hands-on learning to more Oregon students.

The grant advisory committee prioritized geographic diversity and strong community partnerships with local employers in its selection of grants. In total, the 24 funded programs will leverage more than $2.6 million in matching funds from community and business partners. The business partnerships also ensure that career readiness education matches the greatest need in high wage, high growth fields.

One-third of all grant-funded projects are located in non-metropolitan Oregon counties.

Grant funding to begin programs will be available this month.

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) jointly appoint the Career and Technical Education Revitalization Advisory Committee. Additional information on grant criteria and summaries of the projects selected for this round of funding can be found at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=4050.

—

Redmond School District news release:

Redmond High School Receives $474,955 Grant for Career and Technical Education Program

Redmond, Ore – Redmond High School has been awarded $474,955 through the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Revitalization Grant by the Oregon Department of Education and the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI).

ODE and BOLI issued statewide CTE Revitalization Grants totaling $8.87 million to 24 programs in Oregon. The CTE Revitalization Grant funds will benefit students, schools and local employers around the state in fields such as health care, advanced manufacturing, construction, engineering and more. Redmond High School was awarded the largest grant in Central Oregon. A complete list of recipients and application details can be found on ODE’s website.

RHS partnered with Redmond Economic Development, Inc. (REDI) and local industry partners to assess the workforce demands of the Redmond community. Focus groups and recent economic indicators revealed a large need for a workforce with training in manufacturing skills such as welding, 3D printing and fabrication.

“Revitalizing Career and Technical Training at RHS is important to Redmond’s future,” said Jon Stark, Manager of Redmond Economic Development, Inc. “Partnering between the public and private sector—including nearly a dozen Redmond companies—made this a successful grant application and will ensure its success going forward.”

The funds received through the grant will support Redmond High School’s manufacturing technology program to purchase necessary capital equipment and staff to offer additional Science Technology Engineering & Math (STEM) and manufacturing classes. RHS hopes to grow the program with industry partners and to enhance the level of experiential learning opportunities with work ready certification for students.

The following industry partners aided in the Redmond High School CTE Revitalization Grant application:

High Desert Education Service District
Redmond Economic Development, Inc.
Central Oregon WorkSource Employment Department
Central Oregon Community College
Oregon Tech
CR Fabrication
Jodeco Inc.
Lancair International
LMH Industries
PCC Schlosser
RDD Enterprises
Smith Brothers Pushrods

“Redmond High School looks forward to partnering with our community to offer our students a path to a high paying job in a fast growing segment of industry,” shared Dr. Nicole MacTavish, RHS Principal. “We have been blown away by the level of support from our partners in higher education and in industry. This is a window of opportunity to enhance the way we offer cutting-edge education to our kids.”

CTE programs help develop both academic and technical skills and contribute to a rich and relevant learning experience. Graduation rates for students in CTE programs are near 90 percent, according to the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.

Redmond School District is known for its comprehensive array of CTE programs offered at both of its high school campuses. Redmond High School offers CTE programs in agriculture, veterinary medicine, animal/equine science, marketing, woodworks, construction manufacturing, business, floral design, computer integrated manufacturing, automotive and small gas engines. Ridgeview High School offers CTE programs in television production, culinary arts, engineering (robotics, electric vehicle design, aircraft design, computer programming), business (marketing, business leadership), human development and is in the process of developing a CNA and dental hygienist program.

Redmond High School will be hosting a celebratory reception to honor their industry partners and to host community tours of the CTE program on Thursday, January 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the high school. Community members are welcome to attend.