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PCC helps teachers turn emerging irrigation technology into career opportunities

Story by Misty Bouse, photos by Ric Getter.

Kavita Nautiyal knows her stuff. The Mountainside High School teacher has taught computer information systems for four years after previously instructing mathematics, computer science and computer information systems courses at ����ֱ�� for 24 years.

However, this past summer she learned something new — high-tech irrigation.

“Before taking this course, I was unaware of the interdisciplinary connections between irrigation, computer science and mathematics,” Nautiyal said. “I can now incorporate these connections into my course content and use them to provide students with more real-world applications of the concepts they learn.”

Nautiyal was attending the “Irrigation Systems: Installation, Components & Maintenance” workshop through the Summer Skills Summit, a paid professional development series focused on career and technical education. PCC and the Portland Area Career Technical Education Consortium (PACTEC) organized nine sessions that ended in August.

She said the workshop’s focus on data collection and analysis gave her examples she can bring back to her students. She is also considering incorporating a drone into her program and adding irrigation concepts to her coursework.

Teaching the Teachers to Impact Workforce

Oregon’s workforce challenge starts long before a job opening: keeping classroom learning connected to the skills employers need. As technology reshapes industries from agriculture to advanced manufacturing, the state’s identifies a critical challenge of helping schools keep pace with rapidly changing digital tools and workplace demands.

PCC is tackling that challenge through the summer summit by putting teachers in the role of students. This summer, 95 educators from 27 Portland-area high schools in 11 school districts received paid, hands-on training in subjects ranging from smart irrigation and cybersecurity to welding and 3D prototyping. They return to their classrooms with practical lessons to help students connect their interests to careers and take their first steps toward becoming the skilled workers Oregon needs.

From smart irrigation controllers to cybersecurity and 3D prototyping, teachers received stipends this summer to learn the latest industry technology and practices at PCC. They will take that knowledge back to their classrooms to help students explore and prepare for future-ready careers.

Through a partnership with PCC’s Professional Development and Training office, some sessions offered PCC transcript credit and continuing education units. Across the series, educators collectively earned 1,433 professional development units and six PCC microcredentials.

Irrigation Skills For Washington County’s Industry

The summit concluded with three days of hands-on irrigation systems training ����ֱ��’s Rock Creek Campus near Beaverton and Hillsboro. Teachers studied system layouts, common components, installation methods and seasonal maintenance, including spring startups, troubleshooting and winterization. They also explored water-saving technology used in residential, commercial and agricultural settings.

In Washington County, irrigation is increasingly a technology job as much as a landscape or agricultural one. With nearly $192 million in nursery, greenhouse, floriculture and sod sales and more than 28,000 irrigated acres, the region needs workers who understand water systems, sensors, automation and data. PCC is helping build that pipeline by giving high school teachers the industry knowledge they can pass directly to students.

Educators who completed the three-course irrigation sequence earned a PCC digital microcredential and 12 professional development units. Gordon Kunkle, an instructor with PCC’s Professional Development and Training Program, led the workshop. A landscape industry veteran, Kunkle works as a regional trainer and irrigation consultant for SiteOne Landscape Supply.

“Modern irrigation increasingly relies on sensors, local weather data, automated schedule adjustments and remote controls,” Kunkle said. “It’s very smart tech and offers flexibility.”

The workshop also introduced the varied skills used in irrigation careers. Specialists may interpret blueprints, calculate measurements and elevations, use design software, sketch layouts and account for the water needs of plants, shrubs and trees. The work can also involve wiring, sensors, data and automated controls, drones AutoCAD and Raspberry Pi can help workers manage irrigation systems.

“It’s a career path,” Kunkle said. “They keep busy year-round and make a good living.”

Gaston Teacher Gets Students Involved

Oregon is also projecting growth in agricultural occupations, including a 12.8% increase in agricultural equipment operators from 2023–2033.

Wade Sims, who teaches design and manufacturing at Gaston School District’s new Career and Technical Education Academy, has his students take projects from proposal development and 3D modeling through fabrication, painting, promotion and basic accounting. Irrigation technology gives Sims another practical career connection to share with students who enjoy design, technology and hands-on work.

The summit’s nine sessions covered culinary arts, AutoCAD and surveying, irrigation systems, cybersecurity, project management, multimedia, project-based learning for career and technical education, welding and STEAM lab design and mass prototyping.

Jan Osborn, PACTEC’s program manager, said the series had a “great turnout” and praised the industry skills and instructional ideas PCC faculty shared throughout the summer.

In follow-up surveys, nearly 80% of participating educators said they would recommend the series to a friend or colleague. Instructors also received excellent ratings for facilitating learning, Osborn said.

More information about professional development opportunities is available on the PACTEC website.