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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 2022)
Page 8 CAREERS Special Edition June 23, 2021 971-276-8674 Cut, trim, edge, power washing, hauling, leaf removal, cleanup, anything! FREE ESTIMATES FAIR PRICING We are Open! A classroom for aerospace careers, held in conjunction with Portland Community College, is located at the Hillsboro Airport. Aerospace Careers for Everyone For your light bulbs & parts to repair or make fixtures 503.281.0453 • Fax 503.281.3408 3901 N. Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97227 Web: www.sunlanlighting.com E-mail: kay@sunlanlighting.com C ontinued FroM p age 4 nance Technology faculty helped design the curriculum for the classes to match courses offered in their programs. Students in the pathway can earn dual col- lege credits through PCC and can participate in a non-profit “Flight Club,” created and operated by PCC students. This club allows students access to aviation activ- ities after school. “These careers are significant- ly under-represented by females and people of color,” said Larry Altree, PCC’s Aviation Science Program chair. “Everybody recog- nizes that the demand for workers won’t be met unless schools start pointing kids toward aviation.” According to a report by Boe- ing, in the next 20 years the avi- ation industry will face an im- mense shortage of skilled workers to maintain the North American fleet with pilot demand totaling approximately 208,000, techni- cians at 192,000 and cabin crew at about 169,000. By unlocking the doors to aviation careers to histor- ically under-represented students, the better chance the industry has at filling this demand. Chris Barber, a Southwest Air- lines pilot and an Oregon Airshow Charitable Foundation board member, initially approached PCC about creating a program that could spur interest in aviation for high school students. It is esti- mated that 93% of the industry’s professional pilots are made up of white males. “As an airline pilot I recognize that our community looks very similar to myself,” said Barber, who is white. “We do not do a very good job of recruiting females or people of color to the aviation community. We need to diversify because there’s a huge shortfall.” As a result, PCC, the Hills- boro School District, the Oregon Air Show Charitable Foundation Board and the Port of Portland all came together to make the educa- tional pathway happen. The Port of Portland provided classroom space at the airport’s terminal building in the form of the for- mer KUIK radio station studios, which has expansive views of the airport’s tarmac. The Oregon Air Show Charitable Foundation funded the renovation along with donations of services from local businesses. The renovation and remodel was led by experienced volunteers from the Hillsboro Rotary Club, Hillsboro School District, Ore- gon International Air Show, Port of Portland and the Oregon Air Show Charitable Foundation. In total, the partners tallied 1,800 to 2,000 volunteer hours to make this project happen. “Our mission is to enhance the region’s economy and quality of life through trade and transporta- tion,” said Steve Nakana, social equity manager for the Port of Portland. “Breaking down barriers and providing equitable, educa- tional opportunities is critical to our roadmap for regional pros- perity and we are proud to partner with O-ACE in their endeavor to expose students to career path- ways in the aviation industry.” Students from any Hillsboro high school are eligible to ap- ply for the O-ACE Program with courses built into the students’ dai- ly schedule. They can start taking aviation immersion courses and summer boot camps in addition to college-level credit classes. By the time they graduate, they will have amassed 16 dual credits for Avi- ation Science or up to 13 credits for Aviation Maintenance through PCC and can seamlessly transition into either program. The first-ever cohort started this year and has nearly 40 stu- dents from around the school dis- trict enrolled. “Many students within the dis- trict will never get the opportuni- ty to experience aviation mainly because of the cost,” said Sheryl Fisher, a bilingual licensed pilot who teaches the classes. “This program gives students more ca- reer choices in their lives.” Advancing Equity in the Courts C ontinued FroM p age 4 the public about historical racial disparities in Oregon law, the im- pact of implicit bias and how to overcome those biases, among other impacts. She was nominated for the award by a group of Oregon ju- rists and state court adminis- trators, including support from Oregon Chief Justice Martha L. Walters, Gov. Kate Brown, and Attorney General Ellen Rosen- blum. A former Multnomah County Judge, Nelson’s legal career has spanned nearly 25 years.
