Nearly ten years ago, the Humboldt County Office of Education was faced with a request from our broader community and the Headwater’s Fund Board to help develop  a healthy community, vibrant economy, and more prepared and capable workforce. Out of this request came the Decade of Difference Initiative, designed to help prepare our county’s youth to fulfill those needs. Now, nearing the end of that ten-year initiative, we are faced with a way to best continue the efforts of the Decade of Difference, while best serving the students, faculty, and community… Hence, the  Education @ Work program was created and launched. Divided into two focuses, the Trades Academy and the Heath Career Exploration Project (HCEP), the Education @ Work program dives into the core of Owning Your Future. With websites, such as the California Career Zone, built especially to help the students of Humboldt County navigate their options and career paths, we hope students will find more direction and guidance in creating a successful future. By pairing up Education @ Work Partners, which is comprised of Humboldt County professionals in all capacities, with students and educators, we are able to help bridge the gap between students on their way to entering the workforce and employers looking for reliable and capable employees. We embolden you to be a part of the changes happening in Humboldt County as an Education @ Work Partner as it is our hope as a program that we utilize the opportunities available to the fullest in order to achieve maximum success for the future of our county and locally owned businesses.

After taking the step to become a partner of Education @ Work, we encourage you to curate an accurate and robust business profile, including the careers you employ, in order to provide the most valuable experience to the students, the educators, and of course you, the partners. Doing so will increase the level of interaction and connection to the workforce pipeline. Currently, all updates are made by the administrators of the Education @ Work Database. Any updates, changes, and new student opportunities can be submitted to mmansfield-chavez@hcoe.org and the requests will be input expeditiously. We have hit the ground running this school year and are elated to keep you updated with the exciting projects, events, and field trips this program takes us on.