Lessons Learned from Lane Community College’s New Career Technical Education Center
Lane Community College’s Industry & Trades Education Center (ITEC) is a case study on outreach best practices, demonstrating that continuous engagement — before a bond, during design and construction, and beyond — leads to better outcomes. Various strategies were employed at different points in the process to solicit community voices that significantly benefited the building itself and the programs and people inside.
Pre-Bond: Understanding Shared Priorities
In 2020, Lane County voted to make the largest investment in career technical education (CTE) since LCC was founded, thanks in part to robust community outreach. From the earliest stages of bond planning, LCC prioritized conversations with students, faculty and staff, and community members so that their $121.5 million bond measure reflected the shared values of voters. Rising to the top as a key community priority was reestablishment of a workforce development center to connect people with training, jobs, and workforce services in a changing economy. LCC subsequently engaged local and regional industry partners to better understand the types of programs and facilities that would best support a modern workforce into the future. The relationships formed during this phase set the course for the rest of the project.
Design: Aligning Programs with Needs
To inform the design of the new 55,000-square-foot ITEC building, Hennebery Eddy facilitated 28 total workshops with potential users and stakeholders, including current CTE students, educators, and staff. Industry partners continued to provide valuable input that helped align ITEC with real workforce needs; using the digital polling tool Mentimeter, they populated a “word cloud” that formed the basis of the project charter, defining goals and priorities. Later, they helped inform aspects like the layout of specific labs and workshops, optimizing these spaces for professional training. Feedback from users also influenced the location of program spaces, like distraction-free study rooms in quieter corners at the request of neurodivergent students. Similarly, advising offices and the student resource center were centrally located, at the request of academic advisers, to encourage students to use the tools available without stigma.
With competing time priorities, students can be difficult to engage directly (even when using the common tactic of offering free pizza for their thoughts). Our team tried a different route: showing up to class. In coordination with instructors, class time was used to chat with students in their environment, where they felt comfortable sharing preferences and needs. For example, students told us they were uncomfortable using common campus spaces while wearing work boots and clothes because they felt “dirty” in comparison to schoolmates in other programs. In response, the ITEC materials palette was intentionally built around durable yet dignified components like exposed concrete and structural steel as well as furniture upholstery inspired by industry brands like Carhartt and Ford.
Construction: Building Community Excitement
Hennebery Eddy, LCC, and general contractor Lease Crutcher Lewis led construction tours for dozens of groups, creating another forum for dialogue on how future students, high school counselors, nonprofits, and industry partners could engage with the new programs. Several trade partners even used the under-construction building as a recruiting tool to strengthen the local workforce. Meanwhile, regular visits from the LCC Foundation board, community leaders, and elected officials offered transparency on how the bond was delivering on promises.
Post-Occupancy: Sustained Growth & Connection
Now complete, the building continues to encourage engagement. The design features an intentional path for campus tour groups that offers views into workshops from building common areas, showcasing the CTE activity without disrupting classes. Putting learning on display helps build excitement for CTE programs campus and throughout the region, and LCC has confirmed rapid program growth since the building’s opening.
Post-occupancy surveys underscored the importance of all these outreach efforts — and served as an additional engagement touchpoint. Among a mix of 23 students, staff, and instructors, nearly all agreed that ITEC creates a visible connection between CTE, apprenticeship, and allied programs across campus; that the building has inclusive and supportive spaces; and that it encourages connections with local and industry partners. Most importantly, all of those surveyed said they are satisfied with their user experience. This kind of success demonstrates why engagement shouldn’t begin – or end – with design. Community engagement at every step of the process delivers a building that is responsive to user needs, meets workforce demands, and is embraced by the community.
Hennebery Eddy Principal Kyle Womack and Associate Danáe Sakuma presented this case study together with Grant Matthews, LCC’s Associate Vice President for CTE & Workforce Development, at the 2025 Oregon Community College Association Annual Conference in November 2025.