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 investments to prospective traded‑sector employers.

Trent Gay described success stories from Urban League programs that connect people with barriers — including formerly incarcerated people, single parents and jobseekers needing credentials or a commercial driver’s license — to short-term training and jobs. “We had a person that spent 40 years in prison…we got him a CDL driver’s license. And now he makes more money than me,” Gay said, giving examples of trainees who obtained employment, purchased homes or secured career pathways through pre-apprenticeships and short certifications.

Doug Riggs, representing the Oregon Workforce Partnership, summarized the statutory and funding context. He said Future Ready Oregon was enacted in 2023 by Senate Bill 1545 and included roughly $192 million statewide, with about $35 million allocated directly to local workforce boards through a “Prosperity 10K” component intended to be fast‑tracked to boards. “That money must be written in a check to the local workforce boards within 60 days of passage of the bill,” Riggs said, describing the legislative design to move funds to local partners quickly. Riggs and other presenters warned the legislature did not fund additional Future Ready dollars in the new biennium and urged council members to support renewed funding in the next session.

Andrew McGough of Work Systems described how local partners braid federal, state and private dollars to run training, and he gave local performance figures for the Portland metro area portion of Prosperity 10K: a local enrollment goal of about 3,100 and 2,373 people enrolled to date, with high program completion and employment rates reported by workforce boards. He also said federal workforce funding that supports many programs is declining in some streams and that some core federal allocations had a roughly 15% reduction last year; he warned that the combination of sunsetting state funds and reduced federal support could “have a devastating impact” absent new investment.

Committee members asked about employer layoffs and how programs connect displaced workers to new openings. Riggs and McGough said rapid employer‑designed short‑entry training programs (for example the “quick start” semiconductor technician training run with PCC, Intel and local workforce partners) are intended to be “just‑in‑time” and employer‑aligned so trainees can be quickly placed. McGough said a recent job fair after a major layoff drew about 1,700 workers and 50 employers with 2,000 openings, and that many regional employers (Lam Research, Microchip, On Semiconductor) remain active partners in replicating quick‑start programs.

Presenters emphasized program features beyond training, including stipends, childcare support and other essential supports that increase participation among people who otherwise cannot afford to leave paid work to train. “With the infusion of P10K dollars, we were able to offer a stipend for people who were engaged in training…we were able to offer a stipend for people who were engaged in training that we knew would prepare them for a better job,” Andrew McGough said.

The committee did not take formal action on Future Ready Oregon at the meeting, but members expressed urgency about advocating for additional funding in the upcoming short legislative session and directed staff and presenters to continue coordination with council offices and regional partners.

The presentation included multiple program examples (a 10‑day PCC/Intel entry course at the Willow Creek Opportunity Center, community‑based recruiting partnerships, and a modular housing pre‑apprenticeship referenced later in committee discussion) and local performance claims from workforce boards. Several councilors urged that training pipelines be linked to K–12 and middle‑school outreach and to neighborhoods east of I‑205 where concentrations of people of color and youth live. Councilor Green and other members asked presenters to provide follow‑up data about whether trainees were among workers affected by recent employer layoffs and to supply regional input‑output or trade figures requested by council members for longer-term strategy discussions.