Heather Desart, executive director of Northwest Oregon Works, told the Columbia County Board of Commissioners on July 9 that the local workforce development board administers federal and state workforce funds and partners with community organizations to deliver training and job services in Columbia County.

Desart said the region’s funds flow from the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act through the state Higher Education Coordinating Commission and into local boards and local WorkSource centers, where community-based providers deliver training. “I’m not a PowerPoint slide reader,” Desart said during the presentation, and then outlined how the board acts as a pass-through and oversight body rather than a direct provider.

The presentation summarized several program areas relevant to Columbia County: adult, dislocated worker and youth WIOA funding; Future Ready Oregon allocations; youth reengagement grants; a BOLI-backed behavioral health registered apprenticeship; and maritime funds created by recent legislation. Desart said $68,000 from the Future Ready Oregon youth allocation was awarded to Columbia County and that the board has spent roughly $75,775 in local training contracts through its regional provider network. “Any type of training, if it is short term, and results in an industry-recognized credential, that’s pretty much the criteria,” Desart said.

Nut graf: The presentation was framed to reassure commissioners that local investments are intended to be community-driven while remaining constrained by federal and state program rules; commissioners pressed staff for more transparent, county-level breakdowns of spending and asked about local service capacity.

Most of Northwest Oregon Works’ youth programming was discussed as wraparound support to remove barriers to employment: Desart said the board has prioritized support services including wages, PPE, equipment, transportation and housing assistance. She credited Logan Garner, the board’s youth programs manager, with securing competitive grants and said youth funding typically supports participants up to age 24.

On apprenticeships, Desart described an expansion of a behavioral health apprenticeship pathway that began as a BOLI-backed pilot for a CADC (certified alcohol and drug counselor) level 1 pathway and has been expanded to include CADC 2 and QMHA (qualified mental health associate) registered apprenticeship pathways. She said the board has had difficulty securing registered training agents in Columbia County and that the board is seeking employer partners willing to take on apprentices. Desart said an additional federal apprenticeship grant application by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission could bring “about $400,000 coming down the pike,” and that she hoped part of that funding would be spent in Columbia County.

Desart also described maritime funds created in state legislation (referred to in the presentation as the result of House Bill 3410) and said Columbia County has not yet spent much of the maritime allocation. She asked commissioners to suggest maritime businesses or ideas for training investments and said the board could consider creative uses—such as supporting instructors or equipment—so long as the expenditures were training-related.

Commissioners asked for a clearer accounting of funds flowing to Columbia County compared with other counties in the five-county region and for a count of local WorkSource staff. Desart said she would provide county-level spending breakout data and noted that the local WorkSource center in St. Helens operates under a regional contractor, Equus Workforce Solutions, and employs roughly three full-time-equivalent staff.

Ending: Desart said the Northwest Oregon Works board will hold its next joint consortium meeting in Columbia County in October and invited commissioners to contact her with employer needs or questions about investments. She emphasized the local board’s role as a connector between employers, training providers and state funding streams.