Overview
In the fall of 2023, three regions—Mid Willamette Career Academy, Lane ESD, and Southern Oregon ESD—joined forces to address the community and workforce challenges emerging from the devastatingOregon fires of 2020. These regions, representing the most impacted areas, had been working the past four years to develop construction programs within their schools to meet industry needs in the trades while addressing local housing shortages. A pivotal realization emerged: the progress of these programs could be expanded to support a statewide workforce development and housing initiative. The collaborative effort was formalized under Team Oregon Build (TOB), aiming to align education, construction, and housing strategies while engaging students in hands-on learning experiences.
Initiative Launch
Jim Taylor, Production & Development Manager of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at theOregon Housing & Community Services (OHCS), spearheaded a key event bringing these regions together for the Team Oregon Build kickoff rally. During this gathering, participants shared experiences, challenges, and visions for the program, marking the formal launch of TOB.
By winter 2023, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) provided essential financial support that allowed the construction programs to:
Purchase building materials
Offer training opportunities for teachers
Develop career awareness resources, including videos and lesson plans
Reestablish experiential, hands-on learning opportunities for students—activities
that had been disrupted during the pandemic
Partner Network and Community Impact
A wide range of partners supported TOB, including education leaders, construction programs, shop classes, middle schools, summer and afterschool programs, local non-profits, the Confederated Tribe of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), and industry experts. This collaborative network worked toward a shared goal: to meet the housing and workforce needs of Oregon’s communities while equipping students with the skills and experiences needed for careers in the trades.
Statewide Alignment and Strategic Partnerships
The success of Team Oregon Build was made possible through a multi-agency partnership that aligned education, workforce development, disaster/crisis response & recovery and housing initiatives:
Oregon Department of Education (ODE): Integrated career-connected learning
opportunities across the K-12 system and provided essential funding support.
Oregon Housing & Community Services (OHCS): Linked student housing
construction efforts to statewide housing production goals, turning student-built
units into community assets in partnership with OHCS’s division of Disaster
Recovery and Resilience (DRR).
Workforce Talent and Development Board (WTDB) of the Higher Education
Coordinating Commission (HECC) and the Oregon Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development (CCWD): Extended career pathways from high school to post-secondary education and skilled trades careers.
Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS): Ensured funding stability and
coordinated with disaster response efforts, especially in response to the 2024 fires
in Eastern and Southern Oregon in collaboration with the Office of Resilience and
Emergency Management (OREM).
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR): Collaborative partners in broadening inclusive construction training to support
workforce readiness.
Key Outcomes
The collaborative efforts of these agencies, Tribes and partners successfully aligned policies, resources, and programs to address both immediate housing needs and long-term workforce demands:
Experiential Learning: Students engaged in real-world construction projects,
building housing units while developing critical trade skills.
Community Resilience: Student-led construction initiatives provided tangible
community assets, demonstrating how education can serve both economic and
social needs.
Tribal Partnership: Created inclusive learning opportunities and expanded
hands-on construction training, building workforce readiness and addressing future
housing needs.
Sustainable Workforce Development: Seamless pathways from K-12 to
post-secondary education and careers ensured continuity for students pursuing
skilled trades.
Crisis Response: ODHS was able to connect TOB’s workforce development
programs to the emergency response efforts during Oregon's 2024 fire season.
Conclusion
The Team Oregon Build initiative exemplifies how cross-sector partnerships can effectively unite education, workforce development, housing, and emergency management strategies to create transformative and sustainable impacts. The collaborative efforts of state agencies, Tribes, schools, industry experts, and community partners offer a model for aligning resources to uplift students, families, Tribes and communities across Oregon.
As TOB continues, the initiative stands as a beacon for how state agencies, Tribes and industry can work in synergy, addressing pressing challenges while building a stronger and more resilient future for Oregon.
Please contact Jim Taylor: [email protected] for more information about agency engagement to support Team Oregon Build
Or start a chat with Team Oregon Build by clicking the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen.