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Our Mission

The fundamental mission of EPIC is to support our workforce needs by providing job ready skills to high school students and adults. Ensuring a labor force that meets the demands of the 21st Century workplace for our foreseeable future is the overall objective.
We are here to help generations break away from the cycle of low-paying hourly jobs, and towards prosperity.

Our History

The Colorado River Board of Cooperative Educational Services (CR BOCES) has served multiple school districts in Garfield, Pitkin and Mesa County since 1975. The BOCES has traditionally provided specialized support to districts, but has recently evolved to include teacher training, internships and project-based learning. Vocational opportunities have diminished over the last few decades, but a local alternative high school, Yampah Mtn High School, has been successful over the last decade in facilitating work study opportunities for students that often leads to meaningful jobs right out of high school. In the last five years, they have had 62 student successfully complete trade internships, mostly in the construction and auto trades. Last year, the BOCES hosted the first formal graduation ceremony for Yampah graduates going directly into the trades.

8300
Students supported online
21
CTE Teachers
63
Industry Partners
9
High Schools
On average 50% of students in the region do not go to college. Of those who do, only 27% work in their chosen field of study. Our industry partners are demanding a new way of providing quality workers who are job ready when they arrive.

This program is designed to engage students, their families and your communities. Our communities need to see what the future of education will be.This work will bring new excitement and hope for our families.

WHY WE ARE HERE

  •  Providing Career Technical Education (CTE) courses are essential to help develop skills and competencies that allow an individual to be work or college ready.
  •  Together, we can build a system that is responsive to industry needs and has a core mission of educating anyone who wants to find a path forward in our new economy.

WHAT WE DO

  •  The development of new CTE programs and pathways under the auspices of the newly formed EPIC Center presents unmatched opportunities to provide future workers with valuable skills and upward mobility.  Programs will be designed to be complementary in nature, building spiraled skills that create deep learning opportunities that meet the requirements for meeting state standards, credentialing programs and business expectations. The programming will also incorporate a community minded approach where end products will be produced to help raise the good will for the region and provide ways for community partners to play a significant role in the outcomes for our students.
  •  We want the youth to experience what it is like to thrive by helping generations break away from the cycle of low-paying hourly jobs. Together, we can build a system that is responsive to industry needs and has a core mission of educating anyone who wants to find a path forward in our new economy.

BOCES Board of Directors

School District

Superintendent

Board Member

Core planning team

John Manning-1

Jake Manning
Pathways Coach-YMHS

Camron Wyatt-3

Camron Wyatt
EPIC Pathways Industry Coach

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Erika Germer
EPIC Pathways Coach

Mark – Cropped.2

Mark Gregory
EPIC Coordinator

LeRoy Gutierrez.8

LeRoy Gutierrez
CTE Program Instructor

ken

Ken Haptonstall
Executive Director Colorado River BOCES

Scott Cooper

Scott Cooper
EPIC Director

Koreena Montoya

Koreena Montoya
Colorado Migrant Education Director

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Mike Lowe
EPIC Fundraiser

samantha

Samantha Freese
Youth Career Coordinator at Colorado Workforce

Carolyn Tucker

Carolyn Tucker
Regional Coordinator at Colorado Workforce

David Little

David Little
COO at The Gallegos Corporation