O ctober 2, 2013
Minority & Small Business Week
Page 7
Diversity Wanted in Highway Construction
Labor
Commissioner
joins call for
new training
programs
The Oregon B ureau of Labor and
Industries is seeking proposals for
p re-a p p ren tice sh ip services to
strengthen the state’s highway con
struction workforce and encourage
more women and minorities to pur
sue highway construction careers.
The p re-apprenticeship pro-
Not the
Start, but the
Completion
Pledge to finish degree
Statistics show the surest way
for anyone to land a job in their
chosen field is to finish college and
earn a degree
or certificate.
F
A nd that's
exactly w hat
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students at Mt.
Hood Commu
nity College are
prom ising to
d o - signing a
mass pledge to Sule W hitlock
complete their associate degrees or
certificates before leaving commu
nity college to transfer to a four-year
college or enter the job market.
MHCC employees have also been
asked to sign the pledge, commit
ting themselves to doing whatever
they can to facilitate completion of
student credentials.
Students gathered on this first
week of fall term to sign the comple
tion pledge, part of a national commu
nity college movement. The event
was hosted by the college’s Rho
Theta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa
Honor Society.
“Having students commit to their
goals in writing helps motivate the
student to take action. Retention is
key,” said Sule Whitlock, MHCC
student and Rho Theta president.
At the 2010 White House Summit
for Community Colleges, President
Obama called for community col
leges to produce an additional five
million degrees and certificates in
the next 10 years, part of a goal to
restore the United States as the
world's leader in college graduates.
The U.S. is now ranked 16th among
industrialized countries in the per
centage of citizens holding higher
education credentials.
Studies show that students who
complete their degrees or certificates
wil I earn an average of $500,000more
over the course of their careers.
grams - a partnership between BOLI
and the Oregon Departm ent of
Transportation - will engage stu
dents and young adults about op
portunities and potential careers as
carpenters, cement masons, iron
workers, laborers, operating engi
neers, or painters.
“Students can build a great ca
reer in the highway construction
trades,” said Labor and Industries
Commissioner Brad Avakian. “We
want to ensure that all Oregonians
- including women and minorities -
have access to the skills and tools
necessary to have a fair shot at a
Brad Avakian
well-paying, family wage job.”
The effort seeks to communicate
career opportunities to traditionally
underrepresented groups and cre
ate a support system for them to
succeed in apprenticeship, espe
cially during the first year of train
ing. Career camps for students will
be included in the programs. In ad
dition, winning proposers will de
velop career guidance for those in
terested in highway construction
trades and pre-employment coun
seling for graduates.
During the past legislative ses
sion, Sen. Chip Shields, D-Portland,
and other legislative leaders helped
passed Senate Bill 831 A, which di
rects ODOT to spend up to $2.1
million of federal funds on construc
tion workforce diversity and pre
apprenticeship training programs
for women and minorities. The bill
also provides resources for sup
portive services that remove barri
ers to participation.
Successful proposers will start
their 18-month programs on Jan. 1.
The Request for Proposal (#107-
1509-13) is available on the Oregon
Procurement Information Network
website.
We’re in the business
of providing hope,
access and potential.
Join us.
V \
■ 1 ome
■
F orw ard (formerly the Housing Authority of
* Portland) provides shelter and support for our neighbors
Contact Home Forward for more
information or to learn about specific
in need. Because with the essentials of a home, individuals
opportunities, or for information
can move forward in life. Today, we are more committed than ever
about resources such as free training,
to serving our community of Multnomah County by providing
technical assistance, and workforce
hope, access, and th e p o te n tia l fo r a b e tte r to m o rro w .
hiring and training programs.
To achieve our goals, however, requires the help of our business
partners. We frequently have contract opportunities-particularly
for m inority, wom en-owned and emerging small businesses—
in the following areas:
• Professional Services
• C on structio n Services
• Social Services
hom eforw ard.org
«£&
homel
ì M f \ W
a / e £3 l l rc w
hope, access, potential.
Berit Stevenson
Procurement and Contracts Manager
berit.stevenson@homeforward.org
503.802.8541