This article was published by the Herald and News on February 19th, 2024
Written By: Zak Keeney

The schools in Klamath County were able to show off their healthcare-related programs Wednesday, Feb. 14, during the Meet Your Future Employees Tour.
Chaperoned by the Southern Oregon Education Service District (SOESD), the Meet Your Future Employees Tour is coined as a reverse industry tour in which instead of bringing students to industry, industry comes to the schools providing professionals with an opportunity to see first-hand how the next generation is preparing for the workforce.

“It’s beneficial for industry to see what is going on (in their local schools),” SOESD Project Facilitator Amy Lukens said. “It’s a way to create, or form, stronger ties between the two and foster greater connections for future career learning opportunities.”

Representatives from Sky Lakes Medical Center, Cascades East, Klamath Open Door, Oregon Tech, Leaps and Bounds, the Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA) and Klamath County Fire District 1 spent an entire day with SOESD touring Klamath Community College’s and Mazama and Henley high School’s health sciences programs, specifically their Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculums.

Through the implementation of CTE, students of Henley and Mazama are able to have a competitive kick-start to their future employability through a dynamic blend of theory and hands-on experience with a multitude of careers, including those in the medical field. Students can obtain professional certifications for First Aid, CPR and even an Oregon State Board of Nursing Certified Nursing Assistant credential all before graduation. Students also can earn up to 15 college credits accepted at KCC and Oregon Tech.

As a school system (the Klamath County School District) the last two to three years we’ve been pivoting to the community and thinking that schools need to change. For years (the rhetoric has been) college, college, college; here’s your options,” Henley instructional coach Adam Randall said. “There are a far greater number of pathways to get from high school to work. We’re trying to get out of the academic business and get into the competitive advantage business.”
Schools in Klamath County are embracing the passion and curiosity that students have by offering an opportunity to explore and acquire technical skills and professional practices alongside the mandated robust academic knowledge.

In the Health Sciences CTE, studies focus on five career pathways: biotechnology research and development, diagnostic services, health informatics, support services and therapeutic services. A student can take sports medicine one year and earn their CPR/AED certifications, and then the following year take advanced sports medicine to become a certified personal trainer.

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