New Initiatives
Oregon Workforce Investment Board Establishes New Manufacturing Committee
SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, December 3, 9 AM – 2:30 PM at Eola Viticulture Center in Salem. The new Manufacturing Committee of the Oregon Workforce Investment Board, chaired by Mark Lewis, president of Woodfold Mfg., Inc. invites you to attend a special session: Manufacturing: Talent IS the Competitive Edge. Mark’s charge: “We have had enough strategic planning; we know the workforce issues that impact manufacturers.
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.
Powering Up Southern Oregon’s Manufacturing Sector
Rogue Valley manufacturing businesses have recently benefitted from a successful private/public training partnership with Rogue Community College, and the Rogue Valley Workforce Development Council, through its “PowerUp” initiative.
WIRED Colleges Develop Tools to Improve Access to Manufacturing Careers
The six community colleges involved in the WIRED initiative have developed a set of tools to describe all of the manufacturing-related offerings programs and services available in the northwest Oregon/southwest Washington region. These tools include individual manufacturing profiles of each college, a regional profile of the colleges’ aggregate offerings, and a roadmap that shows how individuals can access and navigate a comprehensive system of career development opportunities in advanced manufacturing across institutions.
The Manufacturing Institute Launches National Skills Certification System
The Manufacturing Institute, the education and workforce affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), has launched a national initiative to integrate the worker credentials needed by industry into post-secondary degree programs offered in community colleges. Through support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System will prepare students, particularly low-income young adults and transitioning workers, with entry-level skills necessary to succeed in advanced manufacturing careers.
Lane County Manufacturers Take Steps to Address Coming Skills Shortages
Despite the current economic situation, Lane County manufacturers realize that there are still skills shortages looming, particularly in their technician level workforce (machinists, CNC operators, welders, drafters, engineering technicians and electricians). Sixty seven percent of the area’s manufacturing workforce is over the age of forty five.
Mid-Willamette Manufacturing Consortia Unite to Address Common Workforce Issues
The Enterprise for Employment and Education (Marion, Polk, Yamhill Counties) and the Linn, Benton, Lincoln Workforce Investment Board received a Cluster Partnership planning grant to continue efforts to develop workforce solutions for five regional industry consortia – bioscience, food processing, metals, secondary woods, and high performance/lean manufacturing.
Northern Willamette WIRED Initiative Offers Manufacturers Free Occupational Profiles
As part of the Workforce Innovation for Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative in the northern Willamette Valley, several community colleges are offering manufacturers FREE occupational profiles to better understand the workforce needs of regional employers. One of the benefits of participating: reducing the high hidden costs associated with poor hiring decisions, including those for lost production, turnover, rehiring and additional training.
Oregon Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) Initiative Can Benefit Manufacturers
Ask most Oregon manufacturers about the search for qualified, trainable manufacturing employees, and they may tell you that it takes more than HR — it takes equal parts FBI and ESP. But, the Oregon Career Readiness Certificate (CRC), in affiliation with the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), is at work to change that.