OREGON DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

The State Energy Sector Partnership and Training Grant (SESP) is an award from the US Department of Labor to the State of Oregon for $5,383,568 to train and place unemployed Oregonians into green jobs. The Oregon Workforce Investment Board (OWIB) applied for the grant, which will be administered by the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development. The Governor’s Green Jobs Council will advise the implementation of the grant. The state will implement the Greening of Oregon’s Workforce project to develop local networks that will deliver training in green occupations. The Green Jobs Council, a committee of the OWIB, is responsible for implementing the green jobs strategy which is mandated by Oregon state law, and will link to other state efforts, such as the Networks of Excellence that are emerging around green industries. Local Workforce Investment Boards will be responsible for convening local training efforts throughout the state. Training will prepare workers for occupations in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries, including occupations that have long-term demand, offer the potential for high wage, career pathway jobs, and support local sourcing and innovation. Program partners will develop new curricula, adapt existing curricula, and complete development of the Oregon Green Tech Certificate. Local Workforce Investment Boards will be responsible for convening local training efforts throughout the state. Specific local projects will include: • The Portland Metro Local Team (Multnomah and Washington Counties), led by Worksystems, Inc. will recruit unemployed or underemployed people with some college credits, who are not currently enrolled in college, to complete their AAS (Associate of Applied Science) degree and obtain employment in the renewable electric power, sustainable manufacturing, and energy efficiency industries. • The Salem Metro Local Team (Marion, Polk and Yamhill Counties), led by the Enterprise for Employment and Education, will recruit dislocated or incumbent workers to enter or advance in the Green Process, Wind Technology, Photovoltaic, and Advanced Green Manufacturing industries. • The Linn Benton Lincoln Local Team, led by the Linn Benton Lincoln Workforce Investment Board, will recruit individuals to enter employment in the weatherization and home retrofit industries. • The Lane County Local Team, led by the Lane Workforce Partnership, will recruit dislocated workers with a background in manufacturing, construction and high-tech into a customized and accelerated AAS degree training in the Energy Management or Renewable Energy Technician fields. • The Rogue Valley Local Team (Jackson and Josephine Counties), led by the Job Council, will recruit electricians to become certified solar grid installers. • The Clackamas County Local Team, led by the Workforce Investment Council of Clackamas County, will retrain unemployed construction and other workers with the green skills needed to perform weatherization and retrofits, and with the green building skills that are in demand. • The Rural Oregon Team (the remaining counties in the state), led by The Oregon Consortium/Oregon Workforce Alliance, will develop, along with community college partners, a one-year Oregon Green Technology Certificate designed to give unemployed rural Oregonians with the entry-level skills needed in industries that are associated with or support green jobs. Partners involved in developing the grant include the Oregon Workforce Investment Board, the Governor’s Office, Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development, Oregon Employment Department, Oregon Workforce Partnership, NW Natural, Miles Fiberglass, Intel Corporation, Energy Trust of Oregon, Oregon AFL-CIO, Bureau of Labor and Industries, NeighborImpact, Portland Community College, Oregon State University, Oregon House of Representatives, and Oregon Business Development Department.

Clarification of Codes