Columbia Gorge CTE Regional AdvisoryTurns Collaboration into Action

Oct 20

Written By Columbia Community Connection

From Columbia Gorge STEM Hub:

By Nicole Tolmie

Hood River, Ore., Oct. 2026 — Nearly 50 Career Technical Education educators, postsecondary faculty and staff, and industry and community partners gathered at One Community Health in Hood River on September 24 for the fourth biannual CTE Regional Advisory Committee convening.

Hosted by the Columbia Gorge STEM Hub and Columbia Gorge Education Service District, in partnership with High Desert ESD, the event focused on turning regional partnerships into meaningful career-connected learning opportunities for students.

As an educator, being able to connect with fellow educators and industry professionals is invaluable. When you’re in education, you do not always have the opportunity to know how work is happening outside of your school. Being able to talk to people who are working in our communities allows us to know what we need to prepare our students for. I'm extremely grateful to the Gorge STEM Hub and CGESD for the time we have to collaborate on how to best help our students grow their futures. - Leah Ferguson, CTE Educator, The Dalles High School

Since launching in spring 2025, the committee has worked to strengthen connections between education and industry, expand work-based learning, and better align classroom experiences with regional workforce opportunities.

Moving from Ideas to Implementation

Building on previous meetings, participants collaborated in work sessions focused on making industry–educator engagement easier and more impactful. Their feedback helped shape new CTE Engagement Toolkits to support classroom guest speakers and industry site visits. These practical guides offer educators and industry professionals strategies for planning meaningful experiences that connect classroom learning with real-world careers and essential workplace skills. Participants were encouraged to identify concrete partnership opportunities for the 2026–27 school year.

A special thank-you to One Community Health’s Hood River team for generously opening its doors and hosting the convening. Participants toured the facility, explored healthcare careers and apprenticeship opportunities, and experienced firsthand how local employers can help bring career exploration to life for students.

The Fall CTE Regional Advisory meeting at One Community Health was a valuable opportunity to bring education and industry partners together, strengthen connections, and have meaningful conversations about how we can better support students as they explore career pathways and prepare for the workforce. I appreciated the opportunity to host the group and to lead the industry tour of our clinic.

- Seth Deister, Training & Development Program Manager, One Community Health

Connecting Classrooms and Careers: Get Involved!

The Columbia Gorge STEM Hub is making it easier for educators and industry professionals to connect through its online Educator–Industry Matchmaking Dashboard, a searchable directory of local professionals interested in engaging with K–12 students.

Are you an industry or community professional interested in sharing your expertise, hosting students, or introducing young people to local career opportunities? Or an educator looking to bring more real-world relevance into your classroom?

Reach out to Kate Wurster, Career Connected Learning Coordinator, to explore opportunities, join the industry partner directory, or get help finding the right connection. The STEM Hub team is here to help make the match!

Looking Ahead

The committee will reconvene in March 2027, shifting its focus toward sustained, industry- connected student projects that can be piloted locally and expanded regionally.