Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, September 26, 2012, 2012 special coverage issue, Page 8, Image 8

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    September 26. 2012
Page 8
Being ‘Bondable’ often Daunting Task
Free workshop
offered to help
small businesses
Small businesses often face the
daunting task of being “bondable.”
W hen it com es to w orking on gov­
ernm ent contracts in the transpor­
tation industry, being bonded is
often a requirem ent.
Now, a free six-w eek w orkshop
will help small business ow ners in
O regon and southw est W ashing­
ton find out ju st what it takes to
becom e bonded and how to ex­
pand their existing bonding capac­
ity. T he fre e, 3 -h o u r e v e n in g
courses begin Thursday, Oct. 4 at
the O regon A ssociation of M inor­
ity E n tr e p r e n e u r s , 4 1 3 4 N.
V ancouver Ave.
T h e O re g o n D e p a rtm e n t o f
Transportation requested the w ork­
shop after learning of its success­
ful pilot in other cities. The B ond­
ing Education Program , a partner­
ship betw een the U.S. D epartm ent
of T ransportation, O ffice of Small
continued
on page 10
Construction bonds are essential in the building industry. The Oregon Association o f Minority Entrepreneurs
will host a workshop to help small business owners find out ju st what it takes to become bonded and how to
expand their existing bond capacity.
Designing my Orange
Improve Workforce Equity
moment
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 7
At Oregon State, we
know that some of the
best learning doesn't
always happen in a
classroom. Students
like Jamie, who interned
this summer with Anna
Sui in New York, use
these opportunities to
see first-hand how in­
dustries work and make
contacts that can help in
starting their careers.
What will
your orange
moment be?
Jamie Cheung
Learn more at
oregonstate.edu/admissions.
Apparel Design
Honors Degree
1
Oregon
State
U N IV E R S IT Y
“The CBA allows us to really
get a day-to-day outlook of
what’s happening, and make any
necessary changes to make sure
the diversity on the projects re­
flects the diversity of the city.”
The first agreement of its kind
in Oregon, Portland’s CBA will
only affect large city projects of
$15 million or more. The Port­
land W ater Bureau will pilot the
use of CBA on the Kelly Butte
Reservoir project and the inter­
state maintenance facility reno­
vation.
“This is a great public works
strategy that will create good pay­
ing jobs for people of color and
women,” said Jim Francesconi,
the attorney and an organizer of
the agreement. “Working together
with Mayor Adams, organized
labor, minority contractors and the
community overcame decades of
mistrust as the CBA was devel­
oped.”
Big Gains for Local
Health Care Industry
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 5
ners will use the report to set in
motion several actionable items,
such as helping the industry to
recruit, train, and retrain diverse
workers; build and update career
pathways for new and changing
occupations; address the technol­
ogy skill gap; investigate nursing
shifts in demographics and retire­
ments; and focusing on develop­
ing future leadership.
The report is based on labor
market data, as well as 250 sur­
vey responses from local em­
ployers and industry associations
in five counties: Multnomah,
Washington, Clackamas, Clark,
and Cowlitz.