Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 25, 1983)
Paos 8 Saction II Portland Observer, May 28,1883 Women's Bureau issues guide to employment rights Portland C om m unity College’s Electronics Engineering Technology (E E T ) program got a boost from In te l recently when the company donated seven m icrocom puter d e v e lo p m e n t systems to the college’s Sylvania lab. The seven, all Intellec 225*i are used to write, develop and debug programs fo r microproces sors. “ This is state o f the a rt eq uip m en t.” says Douglas V . H a ll, in structor in P C C ’ s E E T and C om puter Software Technology (C S T) programs. ” H ’s the same equipment that’s being used at Intel now.** EET instructor David Hata, who serves as liaison between the college and Intel both with donations such as this one and in the college’s suc cessful cooperative education pro gram with that firm , agrees. “ Equipment like this is an absolute necessity if you’re going to have an EET program,” he says. The Intellec 225’s, each with an approximate value of SI 5,000, have the capability to work with eight-bit (Intel 8085) and 16-bit (Intel 8086) processors to develop programs for microprocessor-bated equipment now used in all phases o f everyday life. Examples of such microproces sor-based equipment in common use are digital gasoline pumps, scales at grocery check-out counters and the newer model sewing machines. When using the Intellec 225’ s, students enter programs they have written into the system, edit them and transfer the edited versions to a floppy disc. During the second step, another program in the system, the ass e m b le r^ o n v e rtn h ^ o ri|m irip r^ Northeast Portland resident Hank Bernes (left) practices on one of the Intel microcomputer development systems now being used In PCC's Computer Softw are Technology (CST) and Electronic Engineering Technology (EET) programs at the Sylvania Campus. Barnes Is a second year EET student here supervised by electronics Instructor Doug Hall. gram to computer language. This is also stored on a floppy disc. During the third phase, the devel opment system's emulator loads the machine code from floppy disc to the memory o f a m icrocom puter board. The microcomputer board is the tiny device which governs the gas pum p, grocery scale or other finished appliance. H a ta explains that technicians and engineers who already have bachelor’s or m aster’s degrees attend PCC microcomputer classes during evening hours to upgrade their skills. " P a rt o f what they’re learning here is how to use a devel opment system," he says. Developm ent systems are the basics o f the computer industry, according to Hata and H a ll. “ I t ’s not just a few big companies that use development systems to write program s,” says H a ll. “ It's the little companies, too — robotics, pollution control, the biomedical industry. Possibilities are endless for these types of things.” H ata m onitors changes in the electronics industry’s needs through weekly contact with local manage ment people. Part o f his work re volves around a large cooperative training program form ulated and run by PCC and Intel. In this role he is able to ensure that P C C ’ s E E T and CST programs are up-to-date with the needs o f prospective em ployers. " T h e equipment Intel donated was given to P C C based on the quality o f our program and our record of supplying industry with a large number o f highly qualified technicians,” says H a ll. “ It was also based on the performance o f our co-op students.” "T he type of training we offer is very unique at the community col lege level and it's unique because of industry's support,” Hata explains. ” 1 view this as being a very success ful model fo r future cooperation between industry and education.” Discrimination, drop-out rate hurt black youth Calling the rate of black teenage unemployment " e x tra o rd in a rily h ig h .” a high Labor Departm ent o ffic ia l warned that it is the high school dropout "w h o really faces the most significant unemployment problem s.” D r. Janet N orw ood, Commissioner o f the Bureau o f Labor Statistics, notes that in the extremely tight labor market, school dropouts must compete with stu dents for temporary jobs. She added that in manv cases high school dropouts “ permanently lack the necessary educational creden tials to be hired for a large number of long-term kinds of jobs.” In October, 1982, the unemploy ment rate among dropouts in the 16- to 24-year age group was 31.8 percent, compared to 17.3 percent for high school graduates. Nearly 20 percent of all high school dropouts are black, Norwood added. The Labor Department o ffic ia l also pointed out that the kinds of jabs filled by college graduates are constantly changing. In addition to the rising competition for jobs re quiring a college education, college graduates often compete with high school graduates for many jobs that do not necessarily require a college degree, and in such cases, the col lege educated youth are more successful. This trend, she added, is likely to continue through the 1980s as the entrance into the labor force of col lege graduates is expected to exceed the number o f jobs requiring a college degree. A 1983 edition o f ” A W orking Woman's Guide to Her Job Rights” has been released by the W om en’s Bureau. The S4-page leaflet con tains general in fo rm atio n about laws that protect workers in the job seeking process, while on the job, and after retirement. The guide outlines the basic pro tections affo rd ed by federal and some state laws, executive order and regulations, and explains what individuals should do if they think there has been a violation. Brief out lines o f actual court cases illustrate the kinds o f situations that are covered. Some o f the topics includ ed are: discrimination based on age, sex, race, color, religion, national o rig in, or handicap; wages and hours; equal pay; sexual harass ment; unemployment and disability compensation; occupational safety and health; child care credits; social security; and private pension plans. " W h ile employment laws offer the same protections to both men and women," said Women’s Bureau Director D r. Lenora Cole Alexan der, "we think that a guide specifi cally for women is still needed. Many women are unaware o f their employment rights, and lack the basic information necessary to take advantage o f the protections pro vided to workers by federal law. We hope this booklet will help women gain full access to jobs, promotions, pay, and retirement benefits.” Free single copies are available upon request from the W om en’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, W ashington, D .C . 20210. A self- addressed mailing label will expedite request. Copies may also be pur chased, either singly or in bulk, from the Superintendent o f Docu ments, U .S. Government Printing Office, Washington. D.C. 20402 for 54.50 each. A discount of 25 percent is allowed on orders of 100 copies or more o f the publication mailed to one address. Applicants sought for Independent Living Scholarships Applications are being taken for two Independent Living Scholar ships in the amount o f 51,000 each offered under the auspices o f the P ortland C om m unity College Foundation, In c ., and P C C ’ s Handicapped Student Services. The two will be awarded for the 1983-84 school year to persons who have attended PCC for at least one year as full-tim e, credited students prior to applying and who have a verifiable physical disability which limits one or more o f life's m ajor activities. Applicants must be able to define specific goals which will eventually lead them to independent living situations. Final selection o f the winners is contingent upon formal acceptance to a four-year college or university. The scholarships are made possible by a gift from Tim Gilmer, a former PCC faculty member. Purpose o f the scholarships is to reward achievement, to encourage physically disabled students to continue professional and academic studies at four year colleges and universities, and to eventually estab lish independence. Interested applicants should fill out application forms available at PCC to be accompanied by three letters o f recommendation from instructors at PCC or any other col lege which the applicant has attended during the past two years. Finalists will be interviewed by the selection committee. T o apply for an Independent Living Scholarship, contact the de partment coordinator, PCC Handi capped Students Services, 244-6111. Career Cycles to repeat Career Cycles, a free, four-part presentation into the phases leading to making a career decision, w ill repeat at P ortland C om m unity College’s Cascade Campus on May 27 and June 4. The Wednesday evening sessions run from 6-8 p.m. and are open to the public. Persons may attend one or all of four Career Cycles, which w ill be taught in the follow ing order: "W h o Am I Careerwise?,” “ Who W ill H ire M e ? ,” " H o w Do I Get the Job?” and "H o w Do I Keep the JpbX” call PCC Cascade. 283-2541. O' PICTURE YOU AMONG THE REAL WINNERS! TRAINING TRAVEL MONEY BELONGING Senior Airman Dawnn Inge, Administrative Specialist. THE OREGON AIR NATIONAL GUARD PORTLAND INTL AIRPORT 288-5611, EXT 210 High Demand Fields Open Now; we pay you while you attend the finest Tech Schools; You receive transferable college credit; an equal opportunity employer "AMERICA'S MOST IMPORTANT PART-TIME JOB" f < Travel the United States including Hawaii; with the best people in the world: Your Fellow Oregonians!
