As the number of job openings not requiring college degrees rises, so does the need for education in skills-based trades and professions. The Cascadia Technical Academy (CTA) is a program that partners with school districts in Southwest Washington, including the Camas School District, aiming to provide career and technical training to high school students.

CTA offers 21 programs, featuring courses ranging from healthcare and technology to culinary arts and design. This year, CTA added three new programs: Maritime, Forest Management and Barbering.

“Our courses are designed to help students learn the technical skills and abilities to become valuable employees,” Assistant Director of the CTA program Tami Oppliger said.

Oppliger also mentioned that all courses provide students with the certification and licensing needed to work in their chosen field, allowing them to immediately join the workforce post-high school and earn a living wage.

Adam Fong, a junior in the criminal justice program, shared some of the values of being in the program beyond getting a certification.

“Depending on the program you’re in, [it] obviously changes what information you [are] taught, but no matter the case it still helps our future,” Fong said. “Learning the Bill of Rights helps us to be better citizens even if we don’t pursue a future in criminal justice.”

Senior Phallon Bestine, a former student in the fashion and design program, shared a similar sentiment, bringing up the benefit of learning a new skill, regardless of whether it is used in a future job.

According to Oppliger, CTA also allows students to learn what it is like working with other people in a professional setting. She emphasized the way that students are treated like colleagues and how the learning environment mirrors the actual conditions of working in a given field.

“You also get to work hands-on with other people,” junior and culinary arts student McKena Terpening said. “You may not like them but you learn to love them.”

CTA first opened its doors in 1983 and part of the reason Oppliger believes the program has been so successful is due to the passion of the students who are enrolled. 

“Students choose to come here. It is a choice, the programs are something that interests them,” Oppliger said.

Oppliger also brought up that CTA is tuition-free, which allows equal opportunities for all students to receive training in one of their courses.

“The information you learn, community, and opportunities are vastly different and much better at Cascadia,” Fong said.

To find more information on the CTA program, as well as how to apply, visit their website: cascadiatechnicalacademy.org.