One hundred and forty two Oregon middle schools and high schools – serving more than 85,000 students – have secured career readiness grants totaling $9 million, Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian and Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Salam Noor announced this week. Included in the grants is Redmond High School $231,700: Building the Hub of Entrepreneurship: Innovation and Ideation.
The CTE Revitalization Grant funds will serve diverse communities around the state with programs focused on advanced manufacturing, engineering, agricultural science, app development, robotics, tourism, forestry, home renovation and health care.
“A skilled workforce is the foundation of a healthy economy,” said Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian. “Today’s grants will give more Oregon students access to the hands-on learning and skills training that they need to succeed. The grant fund takes a bottom-up approach so that the career readiness investment matches the greatest need in high-wage, high-growth fields.”
In total, the 25 grants will leverage additional funds from 277 local business and community partners.
“These grants will help more students prepare for college and career,” said Deputy Superintendent Salam Noor. “I’m very pleased to see the ongoing expansion of hands-on, applied learning to more schools around the state. These programs are good for students, good for businesses, and good for local communities.”
Graduation rates for students in CTE programs are near 90 percent, according to the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.
The grants build on earlier investments by the Oregon Legislature in 2011, 2013 and 2014 totaling $14 million.
The CTE Revitalization Advisory Committee – comprised of representatives from organized labor, trade organizations, education and Oregon’s energy and business community – reviewed 73 applications totaling $24.5 million in requests. The committee prioritized applications based on geographic diversity, community partnerships, and programs that lead to high-wage, high-demand occupations, especially for historically underserved students.
A diverse coalition of advocates will seek to refill and expand the grant fund during the 2017 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 Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) jointly appoint the Career and Technical Education Revitalization Advisory Committee.
