Workforce Development

FireBright provides career paths and builds wildfire-resilient communities

To build strong long-term community resilience against wildfires, it's important to involve students. This helps them understand our wildfire-adapted environment and opens career opportunities for them. Agencies like the Oregon Department...

Feb 2025 | Impact Story

Virtual Canopy enhances forestry safety and sparks youths’ career interest

Oregon’s forest sector is a key part of the state’s economy and community. It contributes to the third-largest gross domestic product in Oregon, producing 28% of the nation’s plywood and 16.5% of U.S. lumber. However, the ...

Feb 2025 | Impact Story

OSU Extension 4-H babysitter training tackles Oregon's child care shortage

Families in Oregon face several challenges when it comes to finding quality child care. Because there is a significant shortage of child care slots, especially for infants and toddlers, many families struggle to find available ...

Jan 2025 | Impact Story

Partnership builds forest management expertise in northeast Oregon

Forest landowners in northeast Oregon face the ramifications of nearly 100 years of fire suppression. Facing marginal timber prices, landowners require financial assistance to carry out much-needed fuels reduction and forest thinning ...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

Malheur Works creates pipeline of skilled workers to support the local economy

Malheur County, on Oregon’s eastern border with Idaho, is renowned for its awe-inspiring high-desert landscapes and fertile river valleys. But the county also lags behind state averages in job growth, labor force participation and...

Apr 2023 | Impact Story