Versatile Trailers owner and President Brandon Ikola; Rep. Court Boice; and Cow Creek Director of Forest Management Tim Vredenburg tour the woodshop at Roseburg High School during the Jan. 8 legislative CTE showcase.

Industry leaders, community partners, legislators, educators and students gathered at Roseburg High School this month to learn about the school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and growing career pathway opportunities.

From left: Rep. Court Boice; P20 Coordinator for UCC and Roseburg School District Brett Steinacher; Versatile Trailers owner and President Brandon Ikola; Cow Creek Director of Forest Management Tim Vredenburg; Oregon ACTE Executive Director Tom Goodhue; and Rep. Virgle Osborne discuss career and technical education programs and career pathways available at Roseburg High School during a showcase event Jan. 8.

From left: Rep. Court Boice; P20 Coordinator for UCC and Roseburg School District Brett Steinacher; Versatile Trailers owner and President Brandon Ikola; Cow Creek Director of Forest Management Tim Vredenburg; Oregon ACTE Executive Director Tom Goodhue; and Rep. Virgle Osborne discuss career and technical education programs and career pathways available at Roseburg High School during a showcase event Jan. 8.

The Jan. 8 event was hosted in conjunction with the Oregon Association for Career and Technical Education (OACTE) to showcase the school’s programs to Oregon lawmakers. Reps. Court Boice and Virgle Osborne attended the event, touring the programs and hearing from students, staff and representatives from local industries including forestry, healthcare and manufacturing. 

RHS senior Andi Robison shared her experiences taking CTE courses at RHS, including automotive, welding and woodshop, as well as agricultural-related courses in forestry, natural resources and veterinary science. 

“I’ve done a lot of CTE classes,” Robison said. “They have been some of my favorite classes throughout my time in high school. I find them very engaging and technical. It gives me the opportunity to work with my mind and my hands.”

The event highlighted the evolution in career education at RHS, from what historically targeted foundational, skill-focused opportunities. Students are increasingly able to navigate full professional certification pathways leading directly to entry-level careers, or able to complete significant levels of coursework required for their chosen degree in direct partnership with Umpqua Community College. These opportunities are available to RHS students with no out-of-pocket expenses. 

In recent years, RHS has offered CTE courses in nine fields, including automotive; manufacturing; carpentry; drafting; hospitality, tourism and recreation; early childhood education; business and marketing; agriculture and natural resources; and health occupations. These programs provide students with engaging opportunities to learn new skills and explore vocational industries and trades. Students who take CTE courses in high school also graduate at higher rates than their peers. 

Over the past two years, Roseburg School District and RHS have partnered with Umpqua Community College to add and further align dual credit course opportunities in existing and new career pathways. Over two dozen pathways now available at RHS allow students to begin earning credits toward professional certificates, associate degrees and baccalaureate degrees. From engineering and phlebotomy to fire science and registered nursing, a wide variety of subjects are available to spark students’ interests. 

The goal behind expanding these program opportunities is two-fold: Help students complete certifications and degrees at little to no cost to enter careers in high-demand, high-paying industries, and fill the needs of local industries seeking skilled employees. Building a strong local workforce to meet industry demand will ultimately benefit the entire community by supporting the local economy, partnership leaders agree.

“We have incredibly talented students in our schools, and we need to ensure they have reasons to stay and work in our community and help it thrive after they’ve graduated high school,” said Superintendent Jared Cordon of Roseburg School District. 

Industry leaders who attended the showcase event included Russ Woolley, CEO of CHI Mercy Health Roseburg; Tim Vredenburg, Director of Forest Management for the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians; and Brandon Ikola, owner/president of Versatile Trailers.  

Addressing the attendees, UCC President Rachel Pokrandt said the partnership to illuminate career pathways creates efficiencies that save public dollars and will serve as a model for other communities. 

“Oftentimes, people talk about a rural environment and how we need to strive to get people as many opportunities as there are in urban environments,” Pokrandt said. “We are striving for something more than that. Our students already have and will have more opportunities than those students in urban environments, because those massive communities don't come together as well as we do. Rural is the secret sauce, and we're going to really capitalize on that to do the best thing by our students, to where the entire state is looking at us to be able to replicate what we are doing here.”