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Anyone who travels through Portland can鈥檛 help but notice the building boom.聽And if you鈥檙e in the construction industry, you see the immense business potential out there.

But we also know it鈥檚 difficult to find young Oregonians with the skills and work ethic to keep up with demand. And one-third of working electricians will be retiring within the next five years, making it even tougher.

Who is going to take their place?聽Right now, there is no pipeline to channel young people into the trade.聽In fact, about half the people who apply for electrician training don鈥檛 have enough basic math skills to make the cut. And they don鈥檛 know how to read a tape measure.

This is a critical reason why we need to work together in support of Ballot Measure 98 (formerly Initiative Petition 65). If voters were to pass the ballot measure in November, it would help every high school in Oregon lay the basis for work in the building trades.

For years, almost every high school offered shop classes. Hands-on learning opened doors for generations of students. Many found a pathway to good-paying jobs that would support them and their families for their entire careers.

But today, classes like shop, auto mechanics and other hands-on opportunities have fallen off the priority list.聽Many students no longer learn the basics of tools and measurements and calculations. And those who aren鈥檛 college-bound are at risk of losing interest in school entirely.

Without career and technical education (CTE), students aren鈥檛 even aware of the range of jobs available to them.聽That鈥檚 why, as part of my regular work, I visit high schools, educating kids about our trade. And here鈥檚 what I see when we introduce high school students to some basic electrical work.

For example, we show them how to wire up a circuit. And when they see that they鈥檝e made a light bulb turn on 鈥� they light up too. Their faces show a new level of interest and involvement.

And when I tell them about all the important work that electricians do 鈥� everything from building data storage centers for Facebook to wiring hospital operating rooms and working on the green, electric-powered cars of the future 鈥� their eyes open to possibilities they had never considered.

Ballot Measure 98 would make one of every six new dollars in the state budget available to high schools to address job preparedness, college prep and graduation. Districts and schools would design programs that address the needs of local students and local communities.

The ballot measure would create a funding mechanism that schools need in order to offer 21st century skill-building opportunities in the form of vocational and career technical education (CTE).

Ballot Measure 98 would assure that the schools use the money appropriately by requiring audits, progress reports and tracking systems. Schools would be responsible for meeting the expectations of the state, as well as students and their parents.

Most of our schools don鈥檛 have the resources needed to do an excellent job preparing students for jobs and careers. At many, the selection of CTE is too limited, classrooms are overcrowded and equipment is ancient. And availability of classes depends on where you live. The ballot measure would provide funding so that all students have equal opportunities to take CTE.

Ballot Measure 98 isn鈥檛 just about getting skilled employees. It鈥檚 really about offering a lifeline to students who don鈥檛 see much of a future for themselves.

Hands-on education 鈥� whether in metals shop, wood shop, robotics, health care or engineering 鈥� is highly correlated with high school graduation. Studies show that even two courses of CTE raise the graduation rate by 15 percent.

And these courses teach much more than trade-specific skills. Employers say they need people who work collaboratively; who communicate; who are reliable; and above all, who take responsibility for their own work and for the success of a project. These skills can improve every aspect of a graduate鈥檚 life, in or out of the workplace.

On behalf of my colleagues at NECA-IBEW 鈥� and every high school student in Oregon 鈥� I urge your support of Ballot Measure 98. Please help now by spreading the word and by voting 鈥測es鈥� in November.

Bridget Quinn is the workforce development coordinator for the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center. Contact her at 503-501-5069 or [email protected].