“We’re always thinking about what’s possible.”
Rob King, community liaison for Caldwell’s career and technical education (CTE) programs, can hardly narrow down which event to discuss first as we sit down for our interview. He describes Doctor for a Day events with Full Circle Health and the Southwest Idaho Area Health Education Center, school tours at Idaho State University’s electronics and robotics program, and industry tours with eleven different businesses for welding students. “As a school district, we are convinced that CTE is really important and it’s a tremendous opportunity for students.” But first, the students need to know that opportunity is available for them.
In 2022, Caldwell’s CTE team applied for their second Outreach Grant with the Idaho Workforce Development Council to raise awareness of CTE, and received $12,000 to achieve their goals. Handouts and informational materials created with the last grant were overdue for an update, but they didn’t stop there. “Creating new marketing materials served as a prompt to force all of us to rethink how we’re marketing our programs and how we can improve that.” The team began by expanding their industry tours, leveraging grant funds to turn routine tours into real partnerships and memorable student experiences. As just one result of the effort, Idaho Public Television hosted 30 of Caldwell’s students this fall, later sharing in their monthly newsletter that they were excited to continue mentoring and supporting the students.
“We think this creates a greater sense of connection and community between the school and the rest of the community, and hopefully will enhance chances that our students will stay here.”
Each industry tour is an opportunity for students to see what everyday work is like for a given career pathway; it’s a window into their possible future. “We have a culinary arts pathway and a hospitality pathway at two different high schools – we worked together with both those programs … to go over to the TVCC Caldwell Campus. They got to hear from Mayor Wagner and Steven Jenkins, the head of Caldwell Economic Development, just to let the kids see everything that’s happening downtown with businesses, restaurants, and hospitality. We had a panel discussion with three chefs from local restaurants, so they got to learn about what that’s like,” Rob explains. Students also received a guided tour of the redevelopment happening downtown by Ofelia Morales, Economic Development Specialist for the City of Caldwell.
“Being able to have kids have the chance to not just go on a really neat tour, but to sit down and have a meal together, and really be treated like an adult and discuss what they were learning and reflect on what was possible for them, that was really something.” These experiences don’t just tell students that a world exists outside of school, they walk students through that world with enough detail to let them take hold of their own future and work toward tangible goals.
“What I’ve heard from students and teachers is that those connections turn on a light bulb, and they begin to see possibilities that they haven’t seen before.”
These new partnerships go both ways. Business involvement helps keep instructors up to date on the skills each industry needs, helping them better prepare students to go on to job training, an apprenticeship, or to college. In turn, as businesses get to know students and understand educators’ needs and hard work, they become more involved in the academic programs. “When businesses feel like they’re being heard – and I think our teachers are really good at that – they really adopt these programs,” Rob says. He cites numerous donations of time and equipment from businesses across the city and region, plus direct engagement from business owners.
With businesses and educators working collaboratively to prepare students for the workforce, the benefits ripple outward into the wider community. Caldwell is working to raise a generation of students who can immediately do good in their world. “We have teachers like our Fundamentals of Health Professions instructor, who is providing First Aid for Severe Trauma training right in that introductory class. That’s a great benefit for the community,” Rob says. These skills, trainings, opportunities, and relationships are what make cities like Caldwell a home worth staying in.
“I think the biggest benefit is that we’re working on preparing our students for careers right here in the Caldwell area.”
The CTE team is doing their best to achieve just that, with 18 industry tours to 37 locations just in the spring and fall of 2023. From here, the CTE team hopes to continue the momentum of Caldwell Schools’ CTE programs by developing the number and depth of the partnerships throughout the community. “I think the idea of really integrating more with community, with businesses, and doing everything we can to give our students opportunities is amazing.”
This project was funded with a WDTF Outreach Grant from the Idaho Workforce Development Council.
