Education
U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh toured the NECA/IBEW Local 48 training center in Portland March 24 and heard about efforts to bring more women into the building trades. That's a familiar cause for Walsh, who as head of the Boston Building Trades unions created a program that brings women and minorities into the building trades. At the training center, Walsh was joined by Governor Kate Brown and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer.
Walsh, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries Val Hoyle toured PCC's portion of the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center. Walsh, Bonamici and Hoyle — all of whom started their post-secondary education at community colleges — spoke about the need for pathways to living-wage jobs outside of a four-year college degree.
The visit follows Walsh's recent announcement of the Department of Labor's "Good Jobs Initiative," a coordinated effort by the Biden-Harris administration to improve job quality nationwide with the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed on Nov. 15, 2021. Walsh was scheduled to first join Rep. Suzanne Bonamici for a tour of the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center, an applied research and development and workforce training center, which serves the region's advanced manufacturers.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh visited Oregon on Thursday to talk about the value and importance of workforce training in strengthening the nation's economy. He met with several elected leaders, including Gov. Kate Brown, U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh will visit Portland and Scappoose on Thursday to talk about the value of workforce training and promote the Biden Administration's "Good Jobs" initiative. Walsh, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, and Oregon Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle will tour Portland Community College's new Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center in Scappoose in the morning for a visit that will focus on public-private partnerships in workforce training.