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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2018)
CAREERS Special Edition August 15, 2018 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. Page 13 O PINION Apprenticeships to Strengthen Middle Class Learning a trade key to honest, blue- collar life d r . K arin e dwards At one time, the man- ufacturing sector of the American economy was the backbone of the strong middle class. There were days when a young man or woman could walk out of high school and into a solid factory job that paid for the American dream – a house, a good stan- dard of living, and a little extra cash to put away to send the kids to college. We haven’t lived in that America for a long time. Manufacturing is still a sig- nificant part of the economy, but over the decades many factory jobs have left our shores in search of cheaper labor, to be re- placed in large part by lower-paying, ser- vice-sector jobs. Believe me when I say, though, that there still exists a career path for people who place value on knowing a trade, work- ing with their hands, and living an honest, blue-collar life – and the first step on that path is apprenticeship. There is a growing need in America for people to work the kinds of jobs that can never be outsourced: electricians, welders, millwrights, carpenters, fabricators, sta- tionary engineers, industrial mechanics, and the like. As the Baby Boom generation ages out of the workforce, the demand for these workers will only increase. To give you some idea of the scope of possible career opportunities in the trades at the moment, consider the building boom currently under way in the Portland area. According to the Portland Business Journal, the construction industry in Or- egon added 104,800 jobs in 2017, an in- crease of 10.5 percent over the previous year. Many of those jobs are being created in Portland – in the neighborhood of $8 billion is expected to be spent on public by projects alone in the next five years – and where construction is taking place, there is a need for skilled workers. For those people ready to step into a career in the trades, the question is “How do I get started?” The answer, as it is for so many careers these days, is community college. At Portland Community College’s Swan Island Trades Center, pre-apprenticeship students can learn the basics of a career in the trades as they prepare to apply for a registered apprenticeship governed by a state Joint Apprenticeship Training Com- mittee (JATC). There are many certified pre-apprentice- ship programs in Oregon; what sets PCC’s diversify the ranks of our trades students. Like many lines of work, the trades have been for many years dominated by men and, to a lesser extent, by white people. PCC’s trades programs are directly addressing these imbalances and creating opportuni- ties for underrepresented communities by recruiting more women and minority stu- dents, and by offering courses like Equity in the Trades. This class covers the long history of inequity in the skilled trades, introduces strategies to facilitate positive change, and empowers students to be ef- fective advocates for greater inclusivity on the job. PCC’s Welding program offers a good example of this. Over the past five years, And with the advent of a new, first-of- its-kind partnership with Madden Indus- trial Staffing – an employment agency for industrial workers – a new horizon of ap- prenticeship opportunities is open. PCC/ MAP (short for PCC/Madden Apprentice- ship Program), which came online in Jan- uary of this year, harnesses Madden’s vast network of industry connections to pair apprentice Industrial Fabricator/Welders with employment opportunities and work experiences that advance them along their career path. PCC serves as the program’s educational provider, designing and deliv- ering instruction in innovative ways that maximize students’ access to gainful em- ployment. Madden’s connections also fa- Students in the Pre-Trades Career Pathway – a one- year certification program – receive a broad orientation to the trades: terminology, a 30-hour OSHA safety training, materials handling, hand and power tool use, task planning, construction methods, and much more. apart is the breadth of its curriculum and the amount of workplace exposure that stu- dents receive before graduation. Students in the Pre-Trades Career Path- way – a one-year certification program – re- ceive a broad orientation to the trades: ter- minology, a 30-hour OSHA safety training, materials handling, hand and power tool use, task planning, construction methods, and much more. In addition, they receive a thorough introduction to the kinds of measurements and calculations that trades- people conduct every day on job sites of all kinds, as well as training on how to use modern measuring tools like micrometers, calipers, dial indicators, and the like. It’s important, too, to note that – in ac- cordance with our core values as an institu- tion – PCC is making a concerted effort to since 2013, the number of women enrolled in the program has grown by nearly 50 per- cent. It’s by diversifying the training ranks of tradespeople that we’ll eventually see more diverse ranks on the job. Taken together, the knowledge and ex- perience imparted by the Pre-Trades Ca- reer Pathway leaves a pre-apprenticeship student about as prepared to step into a full apprenticeship as they could possibly be. PCC’s pre-apprenticeship program isn’t a guaranteed ticket to a full apprenticeship, but it stands students in good stead: Of those students who took the Trades Prepa- ration course in in the past year (and who responded to PCC’s inquiries), 36 percent reported either a successful placement in a registered apprenticeship or finding other employment in the trades. cilitate an ongoing dialogue between PCC and industry experts, helping to ensure that PCC’s training curricula remain at the cut- ting edge. The world is changing, it’s true, and the workplace along with it. But the old adage that says if you work hard and study hard, good things will happen -- still holds true. If you’re willing to put in the time, PCC can help you get there. Dr. Karin Edwards is president of Port- land Community College’s Cascade Cam- pus. To learn more about PCC’s pre-ap- prenticeship programs, visit pcc.edu/ programs/apprenticeship/pre-trades.html. Pre-Trades information sessions are held on the first Tuesday of every month at the Swan Island Trades Center, 6400 N. Cutter Circle in Portland. Using Violence Wrong Way to Make a Point d aryl t urner Like many Portland- ers and Oregonians, I anticipated that the dueling protests in Wa- terfront Park on Aug. 4 would become a more dangerous and volatile situation than it did. I’m thankful that our officers were there to maintain general public safety and, to the degree possible, provide a safe venue for those who truly sought to peacefully protest. Growing up in the 1960s I remember watching the peaceful protest marches led by Martin Luther King Jr. Although Dr. King’s safety was con- by stantly in danger, not once did you see Dr. King hiding his face with a bandana or mask. Not once did you see Dr. King wearing a ballistic vest or helmet during a protest. And never did you see Dr. King throwing rocks, bricks, or bottles at police and destroying property during his peace- ful protest. Through his peaceful approach, Dr. King made his point and the world fol- lowed. Much of what we saw on our waterfront that Saturday was far from Dr. King’s peaceful approach to fighting back hate. I deplore the thought of hate speech and racist rhetoric openly advertised on the streets of Portland. However, we are sworn to protect the Constitution of the United States. What we saw on Saturday was violent behavior. And it was that be- havior that prompted police action—and rightly so. Portlanders are tired of having their pub- lic safety jeopardized by groups of people that seek to use violence to get their point across. Portlanders are tired of hundreds of thousands of their hard-earned tax dol- lars going towards the cleanup of rocks, bottles, bricks, and bottles with hazardous fluids thrown by some protesters during what is billed as a peaceful protest. Port- landers are tired of the national reputation of being called the civil disobedience cen- ter of America when violence is the tool of choice by protestors. To those officers who endured violent behavior and took prompt action to main- tain public safety: Thank you. I also want to thank Chief Outlaw for her message supporting the work that the officers put in during the protests and call- ing out those individuals who threw rocks, bottles, explosive devices, and bio-haz- ards. Her comments to local media were in- formative and explained how those in the crowd who were committing acts of vi- olence dictated our police response. The tactics and strategies used prevented a potentially catastrophic outcome to a situ- ation that grabbed media attention nation- wide. Daryl Turner is president of the Port- land Police Association.
