Entry Points into the Workforce: Portland Community College Offers “Quick Start” Career Exploration

Portland Community College (PCC) has partnered with Intel, the City of Hillsboro, and the Portland-Metro area’s local workforce development board, Worksystems, Inc., to create the Intel Quick Start to Semiconductor Technician Training program in Washington County.

Located at PCC’s Willow Creek Opportunity Center, Quick Start is an intensive ten-day, entry-level training program that provides participants the opportunity to explore careers in the semiconductor industry. PCC intentionally partners with 25 community-based organizations to recruit program participants and advance entry-level career opportunities for diverse workers, including women and people of color. Many of the instructors are retired Intel staff, and the program has trained more than 350 participants since launching in 2022.

Participants receive a $500 training stipend, and everyone who completes the program is qualified for entry-level positions as semiconductor processing technicians. Graduates are also guaranteed an interview with semiconductor employers including Intel, and over half have secured employment in the semiconductor field. They are also eligible to receive a $1,000 scholarship to continue their education with PCC. Workforce Ready Grant funding has supported program expansion, allowing for additional participants, training stipends, and supports and services. 

Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) provides workforce training in mechatronics for incumbent workers through its Advancing Semiconductor Careers (ASC) program. ASC is characterized by flexible education strategies, employer partnerships, and robust wraparound supports and services. This approach is designed to remove barriers to program participation and completion and, in turn, to strengthen job attainment, retain employees, or advance careers—depending on each participant’s unique career goals. Participants who complete the ACS program earn a Certified Maintenance Technician Certificate—a Mechatronics certificate that can be used towards MHCC’s Mechatronics degree. Several graduates have entered this full-time program or moved into new positions within their company.

With support from Workforce Ready Grant funding in 2023, MHCC created a mobile teaching lab that provides the training onsite at manufacturing businesses in the Gresham, Oregon, area, including Microchip and onsemi. Committed to helping underserved communities and priority populations* achieve their education and career goals, MHCC and employer partners have removed barriers to accessing this training by enabling students to learn in a familiar workplace environment, among their peers, and where no additional transportation to the classroom is required.

MHCC has also implemented flexible and responsive course scheduling, and ensures that workers have access to wraparound services, including student resources specialists, the campus library, computer lab, Mechatronics lab and equipment, tutoring, and campus activities. Additionally, Microchip and onsemi have expanded tuition policies to provide for direct payment of tuition and fees, as opposed to reimbursement, further removing barriers to accessing the education and training needed for career advancement.

Another aspect of the program is a two-week training opportunity for prospective employees.  Participants are exposed to the world of semiconductors and advanced manufacturing through a hands-on short-term program. The Elevate Careers: Semiconductor program includes a college credit, stipend, and introductory interviews with employers. The next workshop will be held January 25-February 7, 2025. 

Employer partnerships are critical to program success, informing curriculum, promoting the opportunity, and allowing for industry leaders to participate as faculty, providing both training and mentorship to participants. Consequently, the partnerships have both strengthened MHCC’s communication with local industry and fostered increased engagement with MHCC and the surrounding community.

The University of Oregon (UO) Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program (KCGIP) is an accelerated master’s program that has directly supported semiconductor workforce needs for over 25 years. The KCGIP materials science programs combine six months of industry-specific, hands-on graduate coursework; a paid nine-month industry internship; and professional development and career-focused training to accelerate students’ transitions from academia to industry while they concurrently earn their master’s degrees.

Oregon Pathways to Industry Research Careers (OPIRC) creates a pathway for students from regional community colleges to high-tech and manufacturing jobs by way of the KCGIP. A $4.3 million multi-institutional National Science Foundation (NSF) grant launched the program in 2022, and a $1 million Workforce Ready Grant awarded in 2023 has expanded the program through support for increased community building, professional development, industry site tours, expanded scholarship opportunities, research stipends, and access to tutoring.

OPIRC is designed to engage rural and low-income students from diverse communities across Oregon. Over the course of the NSF grant, 64 scholars from Central Oregon Community College (COCC), Lane Community College (LCC), and Umpqua Community College (UCC) will participate in OPIRC, receiving up to $45,000 in financial support, mentorship from KCGIP students working in high tech, specialized UO advising, and 100+ hours of career readiness and professional development training. An additional 30 scholars will be funded through the Workforce Ready Grant and will have access to OPIRC wraparound and career training supports.

Mick Davis, UCC Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Science, explains, "The Workforce Ready Grant has allowed us to recruit students from a broader range of backgrounds, support them earlier, and increase their exposure to industrial science career options, pathways, and role models, all of which will strengthen Oregon's technical workforce." 

Through the OPIRC program, UO, COCC, LCC, and UCC are helping rural and low-income students overcome barriers to completing their education by leveraging industry partnerships and implementing comprehensive supports. OPIRC prepares community college students to successfully transfer to UO for their junior and senior years, while also offering supports to build their competitiveness for admission into the KCGIP for their master’s degree in applied physics or chemistry.

Employer partnerships are critical to students’ successful transition to careers. Paid nine-month internships provide students with the opportunity to gain hands-on training and career skills while completing their master’s degrees. Historically, 90 percent of recent KCGIP graduates gain full-time employment within three months of completing their degrees. Oregon employers who have hosted KCGIP interns include Analog Devices, Applied Materials, Covalent Metrology, HP, FormFactor, Lam Research, Intel, Microchip, MKS Instruments, Oregon Physics, Onto Innovation, Qorvo, and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Technology Industry Consortium Convenes in Springfield, Oregon

This fall, in an effort to broaden the HECC's community engagement, the Future Ready Oregon Industry Consortia convened 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 has been 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.”

The Technology Industry Consortium convened in Springfield, Oregon, at Connected Lane County's Spark at Booth-Kelly Center on October 30, 2024. Consortium members and guests heard from a panel of Lane County postsecondary education representatives, employers, and workforce service providers in the technology sector about the partnerships that are critical to the success of a diverse workforce. Panelists included:

• Skip Newberry (moderator), President and CEO, Technology Association
• Jessica Hopkins, Dean of Science, Math & Engineering, Lane Community College
• Justin Thibedeau, Associate Director, Connected Lane County
• Mike Biglan, CEO & Founder, twenty ideas
• Stacey York, Senior Director of Professional Development and Workforce Readiness, Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, University of Oregon

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 Technology Consortium’s discussions and recommendations. Jensen Strategies presented preliminary findings and recommendations at this meeting. A full report is expected in December.

Consortium members and guests had the opportunity to tour Connected Lane County’s Spark at Booth-Kelly location in Springfield. Connected Lane County is a community-based organization that partners with area school districts, industry, and other community-based organizations to create opportunities for underserved youth in Lane County. One of Connected Lane County’s core programs, Spark, provides hands-on education and training opportunities in STEM.

Tour participants were able to see the labs where youth learn to use CNC machines and welding equipment during learning experiences or as part of paid work experiences. They also observed spaces for collaborative study with a “Career Launchpad” area where participants can take advantage of resources for career exploration. Associate Director Justin Thibedeau noted, “Connected Lane County started 10 years ago as a bridge between industry and education. We arrange industry tours for CTE programs so students can visit a variety of local tech companies. We do the same for manufacturing and healthcare.” He continued, “Establishing these kinds of connections so youth can think about their careers early is a huge opportunity for them to explore the job opportunities, as well as the education and training programs and related supports and services that are available to them. We also coordinate job shadows and internships, as well as youth supports to break down as many barriers to participation as possible.”

Consortium members also welcomed HECC’s new Technology Industry Consortium Strategist, Shauna Theiss, who comes to the HECC from Workday, where she worked as a Partner Enablement and Communications Program Manager.

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. The 2025 schedule of quarterly public meetings is forthcoming.

Oregon Workforce Partnership Issues Prosperity 10,000 Programs Report, July 2023-June 2024

The Future Ready Oregon investment package included $35 million in Prosperity 10,000 funds for Oregon’s nine local workforce development boards (LWDBs) to expand opportunities for Oregonians to jumpstart and advance their careers in high-demand industries and occupations that put them on a pathway to self-sufficiency. The Prosperity 10,000 Program is designed to provide a series of workforce development opportunities and supports especially for priority populations through the LWDBs.

Each year,  Oregon’s nine LWDBs submit a joint report  to Oregon's statewide Workforce and Talent Development Board on the progress made toward carrying out the Prosperity 10,000 Program. The latest report, which covers activities from July 2023 to June 2024, is now available on the Oregon Workforce Partnership's website, the association of LWDB executive directors. Click here to read the report.

Career Opportunity: HECC Seeks Applications for Position of Future Ready Oregon Data Coordinator

The HECC is hiring! Applications for the position of Future Ready Oregon Data Coordinator – Operations & Policy Analyst 3 (OPA3) – REQ-167741 – are open now through Monday, November 18, 2024. This is a full-time/limited duration career opportunity with the HECC Office of Research and Data. For more information on the position, including links to apply, click here.