Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

PCC career pathways point the way to success

Photos and story by James Hill

by Chris MooreEducation is a key to success in the workplace. Without it, people often find themselves unemployed or trapped in low-wage, low-skill jobs. For many of these workers, community colleges can unlock the door to a brighter future. But only a handful of institutions across the country – including Portland Community College – are fulfilling their potential in this area.In a recent report from the nonprofit Workforce Strategy Center based in Brooklyn, New York, PCC is recognized for its outreach and training programs for unemployed and underemployed workers. According to the report, published in October 2002, the college provides an excellent example of the power of "career pathways,"unique educational systems of connected courses, services, and tools that allow students at all levels to achieve their educational and career goals."Community colleges offer transfer courses, vocational programs, and basic skills training, but only a few integrate and connect these programs,"says Julian Alssid, director of the Workforce Strategy Center and one of the report’s authors. "We were impressed at the way Portland Community College is building bridges between credit and non-credit programs to meet the needs of the entire community."Career pathways welcome students who may never have considered college: those with limited English proficiency, outdated skills, or minimum-wage experience. They help people set goals, get training, and find jobs with a future.Unlike traditional college courses, career pathways work with community organizations to recruit students and offer "bridge"programs to help them make the transition between non-credit and credit-based training. Coursework is grouped into manageable chunks and a clear "road map"outlines the steps needed to reach specific employment goals.Career specialists support students every step of the way, from initial enrollment to job placement, and training is provided by instructors who are familiar with the job market. Finally, career pathways are constantly evaluated and improved to make them even more useful. Layoff leads to new careerMiguel Gutierrez was working as a materials handler at Epson when the company curtailed its Hillsboro operations a year ago. Concerned about his lack of education, Gutierrez decided the first step to finding another job was earning his GED. While enrolled in a GED preparation course at PCC, he heard about the college’s Career Pathways program.Through short-term, industry-specific training, career pathways at PCC prepare laid-off and unemployed workers to find family-wage jobs. In addition to vocational classes for workers with limited English proficiency, the program offers training in accounting/bookkeeping, criminal justice/corrections, phlebotomy, and computer numeric control (CNC) operation.After attending the career pathways orientation, Gutierrez met with career specialist Kim Baarstad from PCC’s Capital Career Center. Together, they researched the labor market and considered training options and he chose to enroll in the criminal justice/corrections certificate program offered at PCC’s Cascade campus.After 11 weeks of classes, Gutierrez served a three-month internship at the Columbia River Correctional Institution in Portland. He also began looking for work. But finding a job in corrections takes time: There are background checks, medical and psychological exams, agility tests, and more. So he signed up for more classes."I realized that if I can go through the certificate program and succeed, I can do whatever I want to do,"Gutierrez says. "My goal now is to earn an associate’s degree and become a probation/parole officer."In November 2002, he went to work as a facilities security aide at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Because of his long commute from Hillsboro, he is taking a break from college classes, but plans to continue his education in the future."It might take me a long time, but I believe I can get where I want to be in life,"he says. "Going to college opened my eyes. I know now that you have to do everything you can to learn and prepare for the future."Students come into career pathways through the college’s Dislocated Workers Program, One Stop career centers, community social service agencies, and other routes, according to Frank Brown, career pathways training coordinator. The program is funded with federal dollars and draws upon the resources of both the community-based, non-credit side of college operations as well as traditional academic programs."Through our community and college partnerships, we are providing a program that is making a real difference in people’s lives,"Brown says.A pathway to high-tech trainingIn the 1990s, Oregon enjoyed a long period of economic development and prosperity. For people with high-tech training or a college degree, there were good jobs, high salaries, and opportunities for advancement. But not everyone shared in the bounty. For workers with little training and low-skill levels, the door to well-paid jobs in high tech remained closed.Employment experts predict the need for skilled people will increase in coming years. To help meet the anticipated demand for high-tech workers, PCC offers pathways to high-tech training and jobs, also know as the pathways project.Developed through partnerships of local businesses, community outreach organizations, and various college departments, the Pathways Project provides entry-level high-tech training to limited English speakers and Hispanics in Western Washington County. More importantly, it creates a complete educational pathway for people at all levels to enter and succeed in the high-tech industry.Students come into the program at a variety of levels. For those who have difficulty with English, the college offers a five-week, high-tech skills training course, which provides an overview of working in high tech as well as training in computer literacy, communication, safety, technology and quality. A consortium of high-tech employers designed the course outline and is committed to hiring graduates. Those who complete the program have the option of going to work or moving to the next step: intensive semiconductor manufacturing training. This five-week segment includes an introduction to microelectronics and additional training in math, writing and computer skills.In part two of the program, students will learn intermediate algebra, use of a graphic calculator, digital systems and more. This 11-week training program prepares students for jobs as production operators or technicians, earning $10 or more per hour. They can also use college credit earned in semiconductor manufacturing training toward a degree in the PCC’s Microelectronics Technology degree program."Students can enter and exit the program at any point,"says Julie Wyckoff-Byers, director of PCC’s Capital Career Center. "In our first group of students, half got full-time jobs and half decided to continue their education. We consider that a successful outcome."Business and community partnerships provide a strong foundation for success. Merix Corporation, a circuit board manufacturer in Forest Grove, provides funding, input on curriculum design, employment for program graduates, and recruitment of other business partners. So far, Merix and PCC’s Capital Career Center business services coordinator have recruited Matsushita Electronic Materials, Viasystems Group, Inc., and Cascade Microtech, Inc. to participate in the project."We looked at our staffing plan a couple of years ago and realized we needed to create a pipeline of trained people to meet the demand,"says Eric Haggard, manager of organization development and training at Merix. "About 20 percent of Washington County residents are Hispanic, and that percentage is growing. Training local people in the skills they need to work here benefits the company as we

ll as the community."During the project’s start-up, PCC’s Customized and Workplace Training department conducted profiles of five entry-level jobs at Merix and trained existing employees to work with limited-English speakers. Students are recruited through the Oregon Human Development Corporation and Centro Cultural, plus the Hillsboro Economic Development Department promotes the program to companies thinking of locating in Washington County.In addition to $61,000 in cash and in-kind contributions provided by Merix Corporation, the two-year project is funded through an $88,000 grant from the Regional Investment Board, a state program that finances collaborative efforts at community development; a $52,000 federal Strategic Investment Program grant; and $88,000 in in-kind contributions from PCC."Eventually, we hope to see the Pathways Project become self-sustaining,"Eric says. "As companies hire program graduates, they will pay a fee. For local employers, it’s a very good deal. We get trained workers at a substantially lower cost than we would pay to train them internally, and we know they’re ready to go to work."