When the Willamette Career Academy (WCA) in Salem opened its doors in September 2021 it immediately began changing the lives of the students who enrolled, offering them the chance to earn, not only a diploma, but college credits, career prep, internship opportunities and job certifications as well.
“Our kids come from 11 districts and three counties,” WCA’s Principal Johnnie Ferro said of the partnership –
a mixture of private and public funding – that enabled the renovation of a former Toys-R-Us store into a state-of-the-art campus for Career and Technical Education (CTE).
“Mountain West Investment Corporation are the original financiers,” Ferro said, describing the Salem-based real-estate development company, which originally secured the $3.6 million property as “an organization that cares about students and the workforce.”
Which is in line with WCA’s mission, “to prepare students for high-wage, high-demand careers in Oregon,” by offering only those programs that will enable the students who graduate from the two-year program to find ready employment offered at a livable wage.
“It has to be a balance of what does the economy say we need and what our kids express an interest in,” Ferro said. Listing, Cosmetology, Health Services and Diesel Technology as the three areas of studies that initially met these criteria. “We knew those would be kid-grabbers.”
Indeed, an estimated 270 juniors and seniors travel from North Santiam, Jefferson, Silver Falls and Mount Angel School Districts each day.
“It requires an application process but the application is not based on anything other than – is this your path?” Ferro said of the school’s enrollment methods which, designed to be more equitable than those of most high school CTE programs, has the added benefit of creating a more diverse student body.
“I have valedictorians… and kids in special education,” Ferro said of the population, which is also 60 percent Latino, many of them English second language learners.
It’s not an easy task but the dedication of the students – each of whom have committed to spending half of every school day at WCA – will be well rewarded upon completion.
“Cosmetology students will be licensed in one area, so they can begin work right away,” Ferro began. “And the Health Services [students] are working for 19 college hours and they will be CNAs.”
Students in the Diesel Technology program are also earning 24 college credits – bringing them halfway to an Associate’s Degree – and will be given the opportunity to take part in a coveted paid internship program. But more importantly, they will have hundreds of hours of hands-on experience working in a state-of-the-art lab.
“There are already so many kids saying, ‘Thank you for this opportunity,’ and so many kids getting real jobs,” Ferro said, describing the success of WCA’s first annual hiring fair, which offered students the chance to meet industry representatives and to take part in mock interviews.
“The feedback was – whatever you’re doing, keep doing it,” Ferro said of the feedback she received from both Salem Health and Papé, who attended the fair. “Salem Health said, these kids interview better than adults.”
That reaction is largely thanks to the well-rounded education each WCA student receives both in the lab and in the classroom, where they practice employability skills like empathy, adaptability and collaboration that will help them to enjoy success, not only in their career but in life.
“There’s a lot of support for CTE because it works,” Ferro pointed out, citing studies which show, “Even if you take one CTE course you’re more likely to graduate and, if you go on to college, you’re more likely to persist.”
Which is why one of WCA’s primary goals is not to replace the many CTE programs already on offer in most high schools but rather to provide additional enrollment opportunities to those students who might not otherwise be allowed to participate due to various constraints.
“That’s the beauty of working as a region, these are really expensive programs a school district could not afford,” Ferro said.
And it’s how the school is continuing to expand, adding Manufacturing Technology, Computer Science and Information Technology and Construction Technology in the coming year.
“Freres Lumber is responsible for the Manufacturing program. They’ve sponsored a maker’s space for 3D printing, design and engineering,” Ferro described. “And our IT program will focus on certifications in cyber security and the upcoming high paying fields.”
In other words, it will prepare students for the job market of the future, something many of them would not have had access to if it were not for WCA.
“We want [students] to go with a purpose,” Ferro pointed out. “We want them to get a degree that means something to them. And, depending on their pathway, we want to help get them there.”
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Willamette Career Academy – a public / private partnership
A career and technical education program that provides work-based and classroom experience in Salem.
Initial funding was a combination of private funding including, among others, the Mountain West Investment Corporation, the Larry and Jeanette Epping Family Foundation, the Brendan Family Foundation, Pape Machinery and the Freres Family, as well as funding from the Oregon State Legislature and participating school districts.
Continued funding is largely through industry sponsors – Freres Lumber, Salem Health and Papé Machinery – and continued district support.
WCA students have the opportunity to earn college credits, career certifications, paid internships and work-based experience depending on their course of study.
