Oregon Community Colleges Offer “CORE” Certification in Manufacturing

The Oregon Board of Education recently approved a groundbreaking Oregon Community College Basic Manufacturing Technician Statewide Certificate. The first of its kind in Oregon, this foundation level certificate will serve as a “stepping stone” for individuals who want to pursue entry-level employment and/or earn higher level certifications and degrees in high-wage, high-demand occupations in manufacturing.

With input from the Oregon Manufacturing Workforce Steering Committee and other employer partners, representatives of Oregon community colleges collaborated over a nine-month period to develop the new certificate. To date, Linn-Benton, Chemeketa, Clackamas and Lane community colleges are offering the Basic Certification. Additional colleges across the state are expected to offer the Certificate as they align their courses with the approved content.

The “Core” Certification takes roughly a semester to complete and includes courses in five basic areas required by employers in all sectors of manufacturing: Machine Tool Fundamentals, Inspection, Basic Blueprint Reading, Technical Math, and Industrial Safety. A set of Common Learner Outcomes for Technical Content Areas outline the specific knowledge and skills that will be covered in each course.

Students will also pick two electives from the following: Basic Welding, Welding Blue Print Reading, CNC Mill Set-Up and Operation, Manual Machining Tool Practices, and Material Science. Critical workplace competencies will include: Problem Solving/Critical Thinking, Communication Skills, Self-Directed Work, Quality and Sustainability, and Personal Effectiveness Skills. A set of Common Learner Outcomes for Technical Electives and Workplace Competencies outline the specific knowledge and skills that will be covered in the elective courses and reinforced throughout the program.

This core certificate is fully transferable across all participating community colleges and embedded in an established one-year certificate or AAS sequence in a traditional manufacturing-related area of study, such as welding or machining.

The Basic Manufacturing Technician Statewide certificate will assure manufacturers that individuals who complete the Basic Manufacturing Technician Certification have a common, baseline set of academic, employability and cross-cutting technical skills to meet the needs of entry-level production. Employers will also benefit from a savings of both time and money through minimized company investment in on-the-job-training for certificate holders.

For more information, contact Debbie Moller, Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development.