Committee hears presentations on Future Ready Oregon and local workforce programs as funding uncertainty looms

The Portland City Council’s Labor and Workforce Development Committee heard a briefing Thursday on Future Ready Oregon and local workforce programs, including examples of short-term training that feed entry-level jobs in semiconductors, construction trades, early childhood education and manufacturing.

The presentations, given by Monique Claiborne, president and CEO of Greater Portland Inc.; Trent Gay, workforce manager at the Urban League of Portland; Doug Riggs of the Oregon Workforce Partnership; and Andrew McGough, executive director of Work Systems, outlined how state and braided federal, local and private funding have supported fast-start training programs and pre-apprenticeships — and warned that the most recent legislative package provided only a two-year allocation that the current legislature did not renew for the new biennium.

Future Ready and local “Prosperity 10K” funds were presented as a targeted investment to move people into jobs quickly. “When companies come to the region, the number one question is labor and how much does labor cost,” Monique Claiborne said, describing Greater Portland Inc.’s role in marketing the region and connecting employers to training partners. Claiborne said Greater Portland Inc. received “nearly $3,000,000 from the state legislature last year” to market the region and that Future Ready helps demonstrate the region’s workforce…