Women make up just over 25% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering. In trades occupations, this gap is even larger with women only making up just 9% of the workforce in construction and other skilled trades occupations.

Our goal with the creation of "Closing the Gap" is to highlight professional women from our region who are working in STEM & Trades fields. This way, girls can see local women who are working in these careers and can consider these careers for themselves.

For CTE month, we wanted to launch Closing the Gap featuring an amazing woman who works in the skilled trades profession: Britney Cawrse!

Britney lives in Scio with her husband and two young sons. She is a student at Linn-Benton Community College in the Machine Tool Technology program. She is set to graduate in June 2021, almost 20 years after she graduated from high school.

"No matter what age you are, you can always learn a new skill, and no matter the situation you can push on through if you want it bad enough," says Cawrse.

Visit our website to learn more about Britney's story!

We will be featuring a new STEM or Trades professional woman each month. Each month's feature will include placement on our website, as well as a podcast (coming soon), a printable poster, and worksheet activities for educators. Learn more at www.midvalleystem.org/closing-the-gap.

We are pleased to launch the Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub’s latest career-connected learning initiative, Mid-Valley Career Connect!

Our focus is on career-connected learning and working with educators and business/industry to help all students in Linn & Benton Counties find a career path that ensures post-secondary success by:

What do these opportunities and connections look like?

This site is just the first step, but we can't do it without you. Please let us know how you'd like to be involved. Whether you're a student, educator, or business/industry, we want to hear from you! Please fill out this interest form and we'll contact you to discuss how we can begin working together to ensure post-secondary success for all of our students.

The Mid-Valley STEM-CTE completed their first mobile makerspace installation recently at the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Santiam. This is the pilot project for our Makerspace Development Project to support the installation of makerspace supplies in our region.

A makerspace is a collaborative workspace inside a school, library, or separate public/private facility for making, learning, exploring, and sharing that uses high-tech, low-tech, or no-tech tools.

The core of a makerspace is developing a maker mindset, which is the idea of creating something out of nothing and exploring your own interests. These spaces are also helping to prepare those who need the critical 21st-century skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). They provide hands-on learning, help with critical thinking skills, and even boost self-confidence.  

For this makerspace project, since the kids we were supplying are in elementary grades, we kept it pretty low-tech. Lots of art and craft supplies, cardboard construction kits, and storage (we provided the shelving and bins as well). We are providing the club staff with a binder of activities, mostly STEM-focused and challenge-based. For example, design your own zoo out of cardboard or create a bridge out of straws. We are also going to provide some professional development workshops for the staff on Design Thinking, as well as helping run special activities through the rest of the school year.

Learn more about makerspaces on our website. Please contact us if you're interested in partnering on a makerspace.