CAREERS Special Edition
August 15, 2018
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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.