Sustaining communities through education and training

A community’s belief in education and training is reflected in many ways. In the community’s volunteer and financial support is demonstrated in the many diverse educational offerings available to its citizens.

And in the activities of the North Clackamas County Chamber of Commerce, which works to improve the area’s workforce and to develop future leaders both young and mature.

Whether your goals are related to workforce or further education, fun or profit, there are opportunities for everyone from toddler to senior citizen in the schools and other programs of North Clackamas County.

Knowing that education is a sustainable commodity, the business community provides important contributions to most area schools through business partnerships and volunteerism. Chamber members know that a great community starts with great schools and they do their part. The Chamber hosts both and adult and teen leadership program. Click on links for Leadership Clackamas County and Clackamas County Young Leaders’ Project.

From public to private, preschool to university, there are a wide variety of opportunities for the communities.

The public K-12 system features the North Clackamas School District and Gladstone School District. Close to 20,000 students attend one of 30 schools in these two systems.

North Clackamas Schools feature effective and innovative approaches to education that work to accommodate the needs of each student. Challenging graduation requirements and several special charter and magnet schools help students outpace the state average for math, writing and reading at all grade levels and produce a record low dropout rate. More than 5,000 volunteers and 600 business partners support the schools. The Sabin-Schellenberg Center features active business community involvement to deliver career technical curriculum to more than 4,000 students.

The three schools of the Gladstone District are the core of a special community that takes its schools to heart. This is represented by the number of parents who assist in classrooms, sponsor school activities, raise money and participate in school events. Guiding principles for the District include academic expectations, high standards, life-long learners, affective education, student preparation/technology. The District is building a state-of-the-art Applied Science/Technology Center and renovating the high school Fine Arts Facilities while adding a school for early childhood education as a result of a bond measure passed recently.

Two other public school districts are within the Chamber’s area; Oregon City to the south and Gresham-Barlow to the northeast. There are several other schools serving the area, including Cascade Heights Public Charter School, Portland Waldorf School, La Salle Catholic College Preparatory, St. John the Baptist Catholic School and Full Circle Countryside School. Several area churches, along with area charter schools offer additional education options.

There are many opportunities for individuals to continue their learning without going too far from home at Clackamas Community College, Oregon Institute of Technology, Portland State University or Eastern Oregon University.

Clackamas Community College (CCC) creates lifetime opportunities by responding to individual needs. Accountable to the community it serves; CCC is accessible to all students at campuses throughout the community. In addition to an academic program that provides a focus in several areas, the two year school has ancillary services such as Small Business Development Center and Customized Training.

The SBDC offers free “one on one” business counseling to small business owners and managers. Expert business counselors all have small business ownership experience and offer assistance in financial management, marketing management and general business issues.

A wide variety of classes and workshops are available to entrepreneurs whether starting up or having years of experience. Many classes are offered at no charge, others are affordably priced. Clackamas SBDC is part of a 19 center state wide network. When appropriate, counseling advice can be acquired from experts throughout the state.

Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) is a public, four-year university that specializes in engineering and technology. Students can major in ultrasound and electronics engineering technology. It offers Oregon’s only bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene.

Portland State University offers more than 100 degrees and serves more students and confers more graduate degrees than any other Oregon university. The school is able to apply scholarly theory to the real-world problems of business and community organizations.

Eastern Oregon University offers one of the city’s oldest and largest distance education programs, creating a convenient way for an adult to earn a college degree. Students can earn their bachelor’s degrees by setting up their own flexible schedule.