The Lane Education Service District is eager to get more students involved in a construction engineering technology program thanks to a grant from the state.
Lane ESD received more than $400,000 for student grants from the state of Oregon. The money will go toward the Lane County Construction Engineering Technology Program of Study. The program gets students involved in hands-on technology and gives them a taste of working in the construction and engineering field.
The programs encourage students to pursue higher education and seek jobs after high school. Nearly 90 percent of the students involved graduate. Carol Knobbe, assistant superintendent at Lane ESD, says it’s the hands-on learning that gets students interested in pursuing careers.
Knobbe: “Kids are able to actually take the skills that they’re learning in a classroom and apply them in a work apprenticeship situation or a project-based learning situation. It really engages them. They’re very excited to see that actual outcome.”
Knobbe also says that with this grant, the Lane ESD wants to focus on involving more non-traditional career seekers, or under-privileged students.
Seven other Career and Technical Education programs around the state received grant money including the Bethel and Sisters school districts.