Regional non-profit looks to bolster career, tech education opportunities for valley students
Educational Pathways to Innovative Careers requests $50,000 in support from Pitkin County
As Educational Pathways to Innovative Careers (EPIC) enters its fourth year of supporting the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys with career technical education (CTE) opportunities, they recently announced its collaboration with all four regional school districts and 10 high schools, including Aspen High School.
This partnership provides over 6,500 regional students with access to CTE programs, including more than 1,600 seniors who are at a critical juncture in choosing their career pathways after graduation. With over 50% of students, both locally and nationally, opting not to pursue college, this is an opportunity to offer meaningful career education and work-based learning experiences, said Ken Haptonstall, executive director for Colorado River Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).
To meet this need, EPIC was established.
In 2023, 307 students from five high schools participated in EPIC programs, successfully helping 34 graduating seniors secure full-time jobs in fields such as automotive, construction trades, technology, hospitality, and tourism.
This marked a significant increase from EPIC’s inaugural year, which saw participation from 64 students across two high schools, Haptonstall said.
“Thanks to the dedication of our executive team and the support of our expanding network of stakeholders, EPIC has secured funding to support the current phase of our initiative, including this school year,” he said.
Mike Lowe, executive director of COVENTURE, a Carbondale-based business and solutions innovations center and EPIC industry partner, spoke of the program’s growth.
“We had 12 students receive job offers by their senior year — the first year we did this. In the second year, we had 37 job offers, and by this past year, we had 54 offered jobs,” he said, adding, “We feel really good about those stats. It’s collectively over 100 kids, and we are showing 85% job retention.”
He attributed much of this success to access to affordable housing, noting, “Most (students) — if not all of them — are still living with their parents or grandparents.”
He explained that many who enter trades in the valley leave after three months due to the high cost of living.
“For us, it really confirmed that helping local kids fill local jobs is a win-win for the community,” he said.
Pitkin County Commissioner Chair Greg Poschman credited fellow commissioner Francie Jacober for bringing Lowe and EPIC to the board’s attention.
“Jacober was the first to hear about EPIC, and after that, I went to meet with them as well,” he said. “I think this is a great thing. We have been focusing on non-profits that are critical for the community.”
He also acknowledged the challenge of limited funding.
Poschman said that the funding being sought by EPIC comes from outside of the Healthy Community Fund, which gives smaller grants to about 70 organizations. Considerations for this grant request will come from a $200k special allocation fund for nonprofits, where money is limited. “The budget could be taken up by any one of these groups, so we want to spread it judiciously,” he said.
Looking ahead, EPIC aims to sustain and expand this vital work beyond the upcoming academic year and has asked the Pitkin County Commission for support. During a recent work session, Lowe requested that Pitkin County consider contributing $50,000 a year to aid in the effort.
Garfield County has also committed to $100,000 a year for the next five years.
“I like investing in these (non-governmental organizations) that have passionate people, doing the hard work as efficiently and effectively as possible,” Poschman said. “I prefer that to expending local governmental resources.”
“We hope that we are providing hope to all the kids who are not college-bound and helping them find good careers,” Lowe added. “In addition to the 100 kids who received job offers, we had 320 in programs last year, and this year, we’ve had 543 participate. Every year we keep stepping it up.”
Lowe hopes the organization will begin reaching out to middle school students about the program by 2025.
As an educational entity, EPIC relies on grants, sponsorships, and donations to deliver robust programming, career coaching, and work-based learning opportunities essential to the program’s success. For more information on how EPIC plans to build a comprehensive Career Technical Education initiative, visit its website at pathwaycenter.org.
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