by Sarah Evans
Oregon Youth Authority Communications
for the Burns Times-Herald

The vocational shop building at Eastern Oregon Youth Correctional Facility in Burns is jammed full of machine engines, routers, saws, auto parts, and a variety of tools of all shapes and sizes. In some sections, it’s hard to find a path for walking.

The 3,000-square-foot space may be cramped, but for many of the 50 youth at the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) facility, it has become a source of hope, a place where they learn skills that will improve their futures — so that once they leave, they won’t come back.

Inside the shop, Monroe School District teachers Gordon Black and Shawn Horrell have already built robust programs where students can learn a variety of trades, including small engine repair, diesel engine repair, building construction, welding, furniture making, and auto body work. Students only work on learning projects within the facility, using machines and equipment that serve as training aids — some of which were purchased with budgeted money, but many that were donated or found by Black and Horrell, who continually scour the community for unwanted items.

The teachers want to expand their programs, but they need more room. Luckily, they’ll be getting it in the near future. OYA received funding from the state legislature to build a second 3,000-square-foot vocational building at the Eastern Oregon facility.

But first they need the people to make it happen. OYA is preparing to seek bids from contractors to build the new shop. A general contractor will be needed, plus companies to do everything from plumbing to electrical to HVAC to carpentry.

The contractors who get the job will literally build a place to train the next generation of people in their own trades.

“Everyone has their niche — some kids are good with computers, some are good with art and music, some are good with their hands,” said Doug Smith, superintendent of Eastern Oregon. “By expanding our current vocational programs, we’ll be able to better help the kids figure out what they want to do, by giving them the opportunity to learn a trade.”

Helping the youth find their vocational niche will reap long-term benefits for them and for the communities in which they live. Research shows that incarcerated people who participate in educational and vocational training programs are less likely to commit new crimes and more likely to find employment when they leave custody.

The Eastern Oregon facility is already finding the second part to be true. Two youth who paroled out of the facility last year with a mastery of basic

automobile maintenance checks immediately obtained jobs as technicians at shops in the Portland area.

Another youth paroling soon went through a rigorous in-house curriculum to prepare him for the John Deere Tech program. The youth already has lined up an apprenticeship in a John Deere dealership for after his release.

“The governor has been talking about how students coming out of high schools have no trade skills. That’s what we’re trying to solve here,” Black said. “And we like to look at the whole picture. When the kids leave here, we want them to be able to weld, cut, fabricate, paint, and be all-around handy.”

“If the youth coming out of here can find a job and have an income, the chances of them falling into old behaviors decrease dramatically,” Smith said. “Think how good their lives will be, and how much better their communities will be.”

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Interested in bidding on this project?

If you’re a construction-related contractor who is interested in potentially bidding on the Eastern Oregon YCF vocational shop project, the Oregon Youth Authority is hosting a voluntary workshop to share details about the project, how payment works, and other information about bidding on a State of Oregon project. This event is at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, at Eastern Oregon YCF, 1800 W Monroe St.

On March 15 at 9 a.m., OYA will host a mandatory pre-bid conference at the facility. All contractors who plan to bid on this project must attend this second event.