Colorado River BOCES highlights growth in CTE programs and student pathways

Mark Gregory, the new career and technical education director for the Colorado River BOCES, told the Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 19 that EPIC (Educational Pathways to Innovative Careers) has reported large growth in student engagement and in postsecondary placements tied to CTE pathways.

Gregory shared engagement data showing a 172% growth in student engagement in recent years and said EPIC has expanded into middle schools while emphasizing ICAP (Individual Career and Academic Plan) protocols to prepare students for both college and the workforce. "We have almost 500 students in attendance at the Grand Valley Middle School during our Education Week program," he said, and listed attendance figures for several middle schools.

Gregory described EPIC's four service areas'professional development for teachers, pathway programming that awards credentials (examples: cybersecurity and networking), the Tiny Homes project that provides hands-on training and credentialing, and work-based learning and apprenticeship pathways that help students secure internships and jobs.

Gregory provided a case study: a student who began in the EPIC cybersecurity pathway and later participated in the Tiny Homes project, internships and a work-based learning opportunity, and who was accepted to the U.S. Air Force Academy after graduating as valedictorian. Gregory said county support helped EPIC leverage additional state and private funding and expand partnerships such as OEDIT's Opportunity Now.

On funding and sustainability, Gregory said member school districts have begun paying membership fees and EPIC is seeking additional partnerships and revenue sources while maintaining county support to keep programs growing. He requested the county's continued financial backing but described his grant request as a "guesstimate" and said any county contribution would help expand programming.

Gregory said EPIC is now being used as a model statewide and that staff changes at the state level (previous local leader Ken Happenstall is now director of the State BOCES Association) have helped create learning opportunities that feed back to local programming.

The board asked clarifying questions about automotive and small-business partnerships and expressed continued support for vocational pathways as an alternative to a strictly college-focused curriculum.