Dufur students go big in career & tech training

Caleb Pence, 18, of Dufur got to smooths a field out west of Dufur on Tuesday, June 28, as he participated in Dufur Schools Career and Technical Education. It was his first experience operating the 48,000-pound crawler.

By Tom Peterson

Students at Dufur school were getting their hands dirty on Tuesday, June 28th as they took the controls on a bulldozer, excavators, a grader, and front loaders on Stan Ashbrook’s property just south of town.

”It’s a lot more fun than the simulators,” said Donald Brewster, 16. “It’s a lot more scary too.”

Brewster was digging a ditch with a Kobelco 140 excavator on loan from Crestline Construction.

The excavator weighs 31,500 pounds, and the wrong move could, no doubt, do some damage. 

Brewster was using the excavator to dig a ditch in the center of a  farm field.

The high school junior said he could see himself operating heavy equipment in a future career. 

And that’s what it is all about, said Career and Technical Education Coordinator Leona Egeland at Dufur School.

The more touches she can give students in different careers, the better off they will be when it comes to choosing their future paths.

Marcus Radcliffe, 16, got on the controls of this mini-excavator to get the feel of running an articulated arm while digging a ditch on Stan Ashbrook’s property just south of Dufur.

It’s Fun

“It’s fun to come out here and get this experience,” said Marcus Radcliffe, 16, noting it was exceptional to get the training at no cost. Nearby Caleb Pence, 18, got his first run on a 48,000 pound bulldozer. He worked to smooth out a ridge on the hillside, pushing dirt into a small pocket.

And below him, Brooke Beachamp used a Takeuchi 470  loader to move dirt and rock across the field.

A lot of moving parts 

The program was born out of collaboration and community support. 

The program on Tuesday was made possible by Baker Technical Institute (BTI), which is providing training, Crestline Construction, which is loaning the heavy equipment and Stan Ashbrook who is providing the operation site. 

Grants from the Roundhouse Foundation and the Bureau of Labor and Industry are helping to fund the program.

The Right Fit

The intent is to empower students while helping local industry and the overall community by collectively opening students’ eyes in choosing successful career paths, Egeland said. 

And trades for some can be a perfect fit. 

She should know. 

Egeland’s parents owned Leaco Electric in The Dalles. And her husband owns Ridgeline Plumbing.

“Just because you got into something that interests you, does not mean it is the best career path for you,” she said, pointing out that she personally was interested in health care and medical training and considered being a dental hygienist early in her career. 

“It was too mundane,” she said. “You had to do the same thing every day.”

She said the career did not suit her natural abilities, which centered around organizing and leading.

So, her students this spring and summer are getting some insights into all sorts of different career fields and have taken youscience aptitude tests.

And then trying things on for size.

Baker Technology Insitute Instructor Charlie Mcculloch instructs a Dufur middle-school student on a heavy equipment operator on Tuesday, June 28.

Let the simulation begin.  

On Tuesday, middle school students were able to get behind the controls of loaders, cranes, dump trucks, front loaders and backhoes.

Sound scary?

Not really. 

BTI Instructors Charlie Mcculloch and David Frazier put students into simulators where they could experience driving heavy equipment without any of the risk. 

The simulators are in a 30-foot trailer, and students have the option of choosing which piece of equipment to operate. It gives students a chance to become accustomed to the pedals and hand controls while taking a piece of equipment through a series of tasks - such as lowering and raising a bucket, or curling that buck forward and backward.

“Can you crash,” asked a student.

“Yeah, and it shakes the whole trailer,” said Frazier. The driver’s seats in the simulators had actuators and were hydraulically activated to put some rumble in the seats. “You’re going to feel that stuff.”

Good Money

Egeland asked students how much a skilled grader operator could earn.

$70 was the answer. That’s about $136,500 annually.

BTI Instructor Mcculloch who has run cattle, driven garbage trucks, wrenched on locomotives, and operated power plants at dams on the Snake River, told the students they “could get anywhere they wanted to go if they put their mind to it and had a good work ethic.”

“Take this seriously and see if it is something you’re interested in,” said Frazier. “If this is something you want to do, it’s good money and they are begging people to do it.”

Lots of Opportunities

High school students practiced on the same simulators for two weeks before they got behind the controls of the Crestline equipment this week.

Egeland said students so far this year have had opportunities to train on flagging, forklifts and earned certifications in CPR and First-Aid. Some 15 students also attended an aviation day on May 21 with Alaska Air in Portland, where Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Insitu provided discussions about careers.

Students will also have an opportunity to work toward a commercial driver’s license or CDL.

More to Come

Dufur School is hoping to raise the flag on the program and attract others who want to collaborate with the school. 

Egeland said they are involving kindergarten through high school students in career education, and next year will bring a focus on health sciences. The following year will focus on construction trades. The school also intends to provide a 5-day certification on Wilderness First Responder training.  

See CTE grant story here.

More about Baker Technical Institute From its website:

BTI, located in Baker City, provides a next-generation education for the future of Eastern Oregonians. We partner with regional employers and industry experts to provide innovative education in hands-on fields like welding, nursing, construction, engineering, natural resources, environmental science and agriculture. Our programs launch careers that can be pursued anywhere in the world while creating thriving communities here at home.

 More about Roundhouse Foundation from its website:

The Roundhouse Foundation is dedicated to supporting programs that inspire creativity, connect people with each other and their sense of place, and ensure sustainability for the long-term economic success of Oregon’s rural communities.

“I live and work in Sisters, Oregon, and Mom was a frequent visitor,” says Founder Kathy Deggendorfer. “We love rural Oregon, its scenic beauty, and the creative community of artists who live throughout our regions.” 

The Roundhouse Foundation was discussed and founded with the support of Deggendorfer’s mother, Gert Boyle, the matriarch of Columbia Sportswear.  Gert was no stranger to challenges as she immigrated from Nazi Germany in 1937, took over Columbia Hat Company with her husband Neal, and then quickly had to transition the family business after Neal’s sudden death in 1970.  Gert recognized the need for hard work and collaboration to ensure the family business and the greater community were successful.

Jon Keyser

This story is sponsored by :

The Dalles Iron Works

Welding, Machining & Fabrication Since 1905 at 720 E. 2nd St., The Dalles.

Jon Keyser and his crew can solve your problems big or small, ranging from the manufacture of ornate iron gates to repairing heavy equipment. His team includes wife Holly and son Jon Jr. who have spent years dedicating themselves to community good, most notably on the Dufur Volunteer Fire & Ambulance.