Future Ready Oregon Has Led to Greater Economic Stability and Equity for Participants

Fourth annual report finds positive impacts overall

The HECC Office of Research and Data has prepared the fourth annual report on Future Ready Oregon. The report provides a comprehensive evaluation of the ongoing implementation and impact of all eight Future Ready Oregon programs. Though Future Ready Oregon is still underway, report findings indicate that the investment is meeting its goals of improving economic prosperity and equitable workforce development.

Report highlights

• Program participation: As of June 30, 2025, Future Ready Oregon programs served 27,434 participants with 82,670 services, including career coaching, general career exploration, workforce development training, and paid work experience, as well as wraparound support services.
• Wages and employment: Among participants who were not employed at the start of services, 74 percent became employed afterward, and most found jobs within one or two quarters. For those employed at the start of services, median hourly wages increased from $18.10 to $21.36.
• Participant demographics: Virtually all participants are low-income, and 90 percent also identified as a member of one or more of the additional priority populations identified in Senate Bill 1545 (2022) (among those who reported their identities). Participants were more diverse than the labor force, and many had not participated in large, public workforce training programs previously. However, older adults and veterans were underrepresented among Future Ready Oregon participants.
• Impact on key sectors of Oregon’s economy: Healthcare added at least 1,360 new workers and manufacturing added at least 341 new workers.

Programs at a glance

Overall findings at the individual program level through June 30, 2025, are also positive:

• Career Pathways served 5,568 participants, half of whom earned a certificate or degree. Among those not employed before enrolling, 73 percent became employed afterward. Among those already employed, median hourly wages increased from $17.42 to $21.72.
• Prosperity 10,000 served 9,730 participants. The overall service completion rate was 97 percent, and 80 percent of those who were unemployed before participating secured a job. For those employed at the start of services, median hourly wages increased from $18.78 to $22.45.
• Registered Apprenticeships* served 1,223 participants, and 89 percent completed training. Among those not employed at the start of training, 62 percent secured jobs afterward. For those employed when they began training, median hourly wages increased from $17.25 to $21.88.
• Workforce Benefits Navigators, which launched in 2024, served 1,506 participants. Initial impacts were especially strong in rural/frontier areas.
• Workforce Ready Grants* served 8,046 participants. The overall completion rate was 92 percent, and 55 percent of those who were unemployed at the start of service secured jobs. Those who were already employed saw median quarterly wages increase from $18.97 to $21.20.
• Youth Programs* served 3,970 participants. Ninety-two percent completed services. Of those, 86 percent who were not previously employed found jobs. For those employed at the start of services, median hourly wages increased from $15.35 to $17.05.
• Credit for Prior Learning (CPL): Significant advancements were made in student-level data reporting at Oregon community colleges. At the public universities, results showed increases in both the number of students and the proportion of new students earning CPL. For additional insights, see the article below on the 2025 CPL Report.
• Industry Consortia successfully implemented various strategies for assessing workforce needs, identifying high-value credentials and effective recruitment and retention strategies, and enhancing access to education and training opportunities.

*Not generalizable because of underreporting of social security numbers, which, though required of grantees to request, are optional for participants to provide.

Recommendations

The 2025 report concludes with four main takeaways and recommendations:

• Positive results appear to stem from the availability of wraparound support services and the development of new partnerships.
  • Recommendation: Current and future investments should use community-centered and person-centered approaches. These include partnering with local organizations and maximizing the use of wraparound support services.
• Adults ages 40 and older are underrepresented among participants and those employed after services. This is an important consideration because older workers can face age-based discrimination and because as Oregon workers retire, there are not enough younger workers to replace them. Workers ages 40 and older are needed to help fill the gap.
  • Recommendation: Current and future investments should intensify outreach and engagement efforts to adults aged 40 and older.
• Though grantees are required to ask participants for their social security numbers, reporting those numbers is optional for participants. Underreporting impedes knowledge of the impacts of Future Ready Oregon on individuals, businesses, and the state.
  • Recommendation: Future Ready Oregon must increase social security number reporting to measure employment and educational outcomes.
• Oregon still faces sizable labor shortages, and funding for Future Ready Oregon programs is set to end June 2026.
  • Recommendation: Future investments should be made in equitable and innovative workforce development, drawing on successful models and insights to maximize labor force expansion and economic prosperity for all Oregonians.

The report was presented to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission on December 11, 2025. Watch the recording.

2025 Credit for Prior Learning Report Shares Milestones in Data Collection

More than 9,700 students at public institutions earned over 180,000 credits for prior learning in 2024-25

The HECC Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development has prepared the 2025 Credit for Prior Learning Report. The report describes Oregon’s progress in recognizing and awarding Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) across public and private postsecondary institutions, and aligns findings and recommendations with the HECC’s 2024–29 Strategic Plan and Oregon’s Adult Attainment Goal. Key recommendations are supported with standardized data, which, for the first time since 2013, was available from all public Oregon universities and 16 of the state’s 17 community colleges. Ultimately, the report concludes that Oregon’s one-time strategic investment in CPL through Future Ready Oregon in 2022-23 is working, even while progress to ensure and maintain equitable access to CPL is ongoing and unfinished.

Key findings for 2024-25

• Participation and credits: 1,750 community college students earned a combined total of 33,7433 credits for prior learning for an average of about 19 credits per student. A total of 7,980 public university students earned a combined total of 146,836 credits for prior learning for an average of about 18 credits per student.
• Participants: Community college CPL students were more often older and low-income, while university CPL students were more often traditional age (18-24 years old).
• Data and reporting: The robust community college and public university dataset establishes the first public postsecondary institution baseline, which will support ongoing efforts by HECC and the institutions to track progress and trends in the implementation of CPL.
• Transparent, accessible information: Nearly all public institutions and many private institutions provide public, student-facing information – such as forms, eligibility guides, and staff contacts – online or in their catalogues. However, some gaps and inconsistencies remain.

The report was presented to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission on December 11, 2025 – watch the recording.

Industry Consortia: First Quarter Public Meetings

This quarter, the Industry Consortia are convenining to discuss their workplans and priorities for 2026-28. In addition, the HECC Office of Resesarch and Data will present findings from the fourth annual Future Ready Oregon Report.

Everyone is welcome to attend the quarterly public meetings. Visit the Industry Consortia page for more information, including agendas and meeting materials, and subscribe to the public meeting notices for the latest updates.

• Healthcare Consortium: Thursday, January 22 (Watch the recording.)
• Manufacturing Consortium: Wednesday, February 4, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (virtual)
• Technology Consortium: Wednesday, March 4, 9 a.m. – noon (virtual)