| Press Release |
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| November 28, 2005 |
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Governor Awards $150,000 to PCC to Expand and Diversify Skilled Workers in Transportation Industry
(Portland, OR) – Today Governor Ted Kulongoski awarded $150,000 to Portland Community College (PCC) Skills Center to accelerate efforts to diversify the transportation industry by expanding training and apprenticeship opportunities for women and minorities interested in pursuing careers in heavy highway construction.
The grant is part of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Workforce Development Plan to target skills training opportunities for women and minorities interested in transportation construction. Based on an agreement between ODOT and PCC, the Skills Center will identify students interested in careers in heavy highway construction and connect them with foundational and technical skills, including 300 hours of training in heavy transportation construction.
“Oregon ranks among the top five states nationally in construction job growth and this grant will help us build on this success by creating more opportunities for employment in the highway construction trades for more of our citizens – particularly women and minorities,” Governor Ted Kulongoski said. “Through this state and local partnership, we are not only expanding family-wage jobs opportunities for individual citizens, but we are advancing our efforts to ensure that all communities throughout the state benefit from the Oregon Transportation Investment Act and other important transportation programs.”
ODOT’s Workforce Development Plan is a two-year pilot project. The goals of the plan are to increase apprenticeship targets from the current 5 percent to 20 percent; boost participation in transportation construction projects in the Portland tri-county area to 14 percent employment for women and 20 percent for minority workers; and ensure that a qualified and diverse labor pool is ready to meet contractor needs for federally and state-funded transportation projects.
“This investment will help create an important opportunity for our state’s workers,” Garrett said. “Having a strong, skilled and diverse workforce is critical for Oregon. Jobs in the construction industry are vital for our continued economic health and represent a consistent source of good wages and sustainable employment for our citizens.”
The main crafts represented are ironworkers, operating engineers, carpenters, electricians, laborers and cement masons, but the plan covers more than 30 crafts. ODOT developed the plan in partnership with the Bureau of Labor and Industries, Oregon Employment Department, Community Colleges and Workforce Development, and many others.
During the pilot phase, all ODOT construction projects in Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties, and all Oregon Transportation Investment Act (OTIA) III projects statewide, will use the new increased apprenticeship and training requirements and women and minority utilization goals. Following this two-year trial, and pending Federal Highway Administration approval, ODOT will determine whether to include the new utilization goals on all ODOT projects statewide.
Media Contact:
Anna Richter Taylor, 503-378-6496
Lissa Willis (ODOT), 503-986-3985
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