Announcing Workforce Benefits Navigators
The Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) is pleased to announce that Oregon’s nine local workforce development boards (LWDBs) have launched their Future Ready Oregon Workforce Benefits Navigators (WBN) projects to increase access to benefits and services available through workforce programs. These benefits and services are geared towards helping marginalized and underserved communities access workforce education and training opportunities, career coaching, and comprehensive wraparound supports.
The Future Ready Oregon investment package (Senate Bill 1545, 2022) allocated $10 million for the HECC to develop a WBN program in partnership with the LWDBs to implement WBN pilot projects.
In 2023, all nine LWDBs developed proposals for pilot projects that detailed their plans to meet the culturally specific needs of priority populations* in their regions. To do this, they each partnered with their local leadership teams and community-based organizations (CBOs) and hosted listening sessions to gather feedback from the communities they serve.
In response to this feedback, the LWDBs are piloting a variety of strategies in their respective regions to ensure equitable access to workforce services and wraparound supports to meet basic needs. These strategies are designed to connect community members with workforce training opportunities and related benefits via WorkSource Oregon (WSO) and local partners, including culturally specific CBOs. Strategies range from hiring staff to serve as Navigators who can provide culturally informed guidance to job-seekers, to developing online apps for the public to access WSO services and schedule consultations, to establishing a referral network made up of local CBOs and workforce service providers—to name just a few examples. See the next section for a description of each pilot project.
The LWDBs also allocated a portion of this Future Ready Oregon funding to advance a joint project through Oregon Workforce Partnership (OWP), the association of the nine LWDBs. Through OWP, LWDBs will combine resources to launch Engage by Cell, a mobile app allowing individuals to connect to services within their region and statewide.
Services are expected to launch this fall. Through these pilot projects, new partnerships, and ways of working together, the HECC and its partners hope to identify promising practices and lessons learned related to increasing connections to workforce training resources and related benefits.
*Priority Populations include communities of color, women, low-income communities, rural and frontier communities, veterans, persons with disabilities, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, members of Oregon’s tribes, older adults, and individuals who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Local Workforce Development Board Regions
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Workforce Benefits Navigators will be available in each LWDB region starting this fall.
Workforce Benefits Navigators: Pilot Project Summaries
Clackamas Workforce Partnership has hired a new Equitable Programs Manager to enhance communication among workforce professionals by implementing new technology platforms and a new referral system to promote holistic customer service. They are also developing a service provider distribution list that includes programmatic updates, funding opportunities, and other relevant community news, as well as regular in-person networking and professional development events, which encourage cross-training and resource sharing. Additionally, the manager is conducting community engagement activities to promote awareness, understanding, and use of public workforce system resources. Lastly, they are developing a funders’ collaborative, which will allow for the flexible use of non-restricted dollars to best meet the needs of Clackamas County residents.
East Cascades Works (ECW) is applying tech solutions in Central Oregon WorkSource Oregon (WSO) centers to streamline and optimize customer service and access. This is a multiyear project. This year, ECW is partnering with the Inside Out Network to create an online application/platform that will allow customers to independently (or with their respective Benefit Navigator) access and connect with services within their communities. The platform will be referred to as the Oregon Resource Network. ECW has contracted with community partners and hired Benefits Navigators. Over the next two years, these staff will be cross-trained in partner services, work at WSO center greeter stations, and engage in outreach initiatives—helping visitors find employment, advance in their careers, and access community resources.
Eastern Oregon Workforce Board (EOWB) will improve access to regional WSO services by creating a referral network of local workforce service providers and developing an online portal for individuals to access related services. EOWB is hiring a Project Coordinator and a Resource Navigator, as well as collaborating with local leaders, to support this initiative. Their goal is to enhance equitable access to WSO services, helping community members navigate periods of transition, advance in their careers, and find support meeting basic needs.
Lane Workforce Partnership (LWP) has developed the Lane County Navigator Consortium in partnership with Collaborative Economic Development Oregon, LWP’s business services provider and regional economic development organization. Modeled on LWP’s highly successful Industry Sector Partnerships, the consortium fosters a network of experienced in-community Navigators. Additionally, the WBN funding allowed LWP to invest in CBOs that serve rural communities and other priority populations, supporting their community engagement and participation in the consortium. The consortium also hosts Bridge Lane Events, which bring valuable resources into the communities of Lane County and support the development of a referral system to better track and inform their efforts while collecting valuable data and insights. To learn more about Bridge Lane, visit https://www.bridgelane.org.
Northwest Oregon Works (NOW) is enhancing equitable access to workforce development services and support for basic needs for priority populations. This project involves partnering with grassroots CBOs to establish a robust, culturally informed referral network—one that includes an online app for public engagement and culturally informed training for staff. NOW has also hired a Benefits Navigator to coordinate and conduct programming. By amplifying the voices of CBOs and their communities, NOW will improve access to workforce development services, ensuring they are continuously informed by the people they seek to serve. Additionally, NOW will provide meaningful support for outfitting a mobile WSO unit, helping bring services to underserved communities and continuing to raise public awareness of workforce benefits.
Rogue Workforce Partnership (RWP) is implementing a holistic initiative aimed at resolving systemic inefficiencies in the workforce system. RWP’s team of specialized Benefits Navigators—dedicated to youth, adult, and business services—will identify gaps in service and improve access. Their approach emphasizes strategic partnerships, community engagement, accessibility, and prioritizing underrepresented populations and communities.
Southwestern Oregon Workforce Investment Board (SOWIB) is using advanced technology, expert staff to work as Navigators, and strategic community partnerships to ensure equitable access to employment resources in rural and underserved communities. SOWIB is setting up tech resources, including mobile apps and QR codes, in collaboration with libraries, tribal organizations, and local agencies. This effort is geared towards enhancing accessibility, fostering family-sustaining employment, and contributing to a thriving regional economy.
Willamette Workforce Partnership (WWP) is working with four CBOs to integrate Community Career Coaches throughout the Mid-Willamette Valley. These coaches will deliver personalized employment support to individuals who may face barriers, such as a lack of access to transportation, preventing them from connecting with the WSO centers. The goal of the coaches is to significantly enhance job access and success rates. To complement this work, WWP created a centralized digital resource hub, known as LUCAS (Let Us Collaborate and Succeed), which provides case managers located inside and outside WSO centers with essential collaborative tools, streamlining the job search and placement process. WWP is working on its next set of workforce supports, such as “Workforce Wednesdays” and interactive workshops, to empower the community further, fostering public engagement and awareness. These events will help demystify the job search process and make career resources more accessible.
Worksystems, Inc. (WSI) is developing employment and training programs to move priority populations into career paths supported by several local initiatives, including Preschool for All, the Portland Clean Energy Fund, the Homeless Services Bond, and Behavioral Health occupations. WSI will deploy Navigator staff in Multnomah and Washington Counties to expand the reach and capabilities of the region’s community-based Career Coaching Network, address urgent community priorities, and ensure alignment with the regional WSO system.
Other Benefit Navigator Programs Supported by the HECC
Did you know that the HECC supports two other types of Benefit Navigators? The HECC coordinates and administers numerous initiatives to support student success across Oregon’s public institutions. These initiatives include Benefits Navigators and Career Connected Learning Systems Navigators, which support students and those who serve them across the state. Future Ready Oregon builds on these initiatives through the Workforce Benefits Navigator program.
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Benefit Navigators are employees at Oregon colleges and universities who help students apply for federal, state, and local benefits programs that can support their progress in postsecondary education. These resources are critical in addressing students’ basic needs, including food and housing insecurity, and help close equity gaps for students. Initially launched by 2021 legislation, the State of Oregon helps fund Benefit Navigators. Pursuant to ORS 350.262, the HECC distributes funds to the 17 community colleges and seven public universities for this purpose and supports partnership and policy development.
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Career Connected Learning Systems (CCLS) Navigators are staff at Oregon’s 17 community colleges who work with regional partners to build a connected and aligned system of Career Connected Learning (CCL) within each community college service district. CCLS Navigators help ensure that K-12 students have access to CCL opportunities and create seamless pathways into college and career. CCLS Navigators also support educators and employers in connecting learners to education, training, and workforce development opportunities provided by community colleges. This initiative was initially launched in 2022 through federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund III dollars.
Manufacturing Industry Consortium Convenes in Central Oregon at Central Oregon Community College (COCC)
This fall, in an effort to broaden the HECC's community engagement, the Future Ready Oregon Industry Consortia are convening their fourth-quarter public meetings at locations across the state. “The HECC is committed to expanding our engagement in all parts of the state, learning from community partners and identifying promising practices that increase opportunities for diverse learners and workers,” Future Ready Oregon Director Jennifer Purcell said. “The opportunity to connect Consortia members to the work of community partners is important to understanding the collective impact of the regional and statewide workforce education and training ecosystem and informing strategies that can be scaled and replicated.”
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The Manufacturing Industry Consortium convened at COCC’s Redmond Campus on October 1, 2024. Consortium members and guests heard from a panel of Central Oregon postsecondary education representatives and workforce service providers in the manufacturing sector about the partnerships that are critical to the success of a diverse workforce. Panelists included:
- Ed Feser (Moderator), Provost and Executive Vice President, Oregon State University
- Heather Ficht, Executive Director, East Cascades Works
- Josh Lagalo, Youth Employment and Training Manager, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council
- Amy Ward, Redmond Campus Director, Central Oregon Community College
The Consortium also heard from Jensen Strategies, the consulting group that conducted focus groups with employers in the healthcare, manufacturing, and technology industry sectors across the state this summer to better understand their workforce and talent development needs. The focus group findings include the experiences and needs of Oregon’s employers related to workforce planning, training, development, and retention and will inform the Manufacturing Consortium’s discussions and recommendations. Jensen Strategies presented preliminary findings and recommendations at this meeting. A full report is expected in October.
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Consortium members and guests had the opportunity to tour COCC’s Manufacturing and Applied Technology Center (MATC), located at the college’s Redmond Campus. The Center provides students with education in advanced manufacturing technology, which includes COCC’s Manufacturing Machining Technician and Welding programs.
Tour participants were able to see where MATC students study welding and machine manufacturing, and where they learn to use computer-aided manufacturing tools, CNC lathes and mills (CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control), and additive manufacturing techniques. Director Amy Ward noted that the curriculum for MATC programs had recently transitioned from a “self-paced, open-lab” format to a more structured and instructor-guided approach that emphasized student success, professionalism, and individualized support. A key theme of this approach is career-connected learning, Ward explained, using the example of Manufacturing Technology Orientation, a course required of all MATC program participants: “Members of our advisory board speak to students about career planning and manufacturing careers.” She continued, “This introduces the importance of employability skills and gives students the opportunity to speak directly to potential future employers.”
Consortium members also welcomed HECC’s new Manufacturing Industry Consortium Strategist, Nick Recktenwald, who comes to the HECC from COCC, where he worked as the Director of Curriculum and Assessment.
Industry Consortia quarterly meetings are open to the public, and meeting agendas, locations, and times will be posted to the Industry Consortia web page. Subscribe to Industry Consortia public meeting notices here.
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