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In-person Manufacturing Day returns to OMIC facilities in Columbia County
Photos and story by Alfredo V. Moreno
High schoolers take part in virtual welding at the 2019 Manufacturing Day.
For the first time since 2019, Portland Community College and the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center (OMIC) will be collaborating with regional industry, education and workforce development partners to host an in-person “Manufacturing Day” event in Columbia County.
The annual event, which had shifted to a video format the past two years due to the pandemic, will be held at PCC’s Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Training Center (34001 NE Wagner Ct.) and the OMIC Research and Development Center (33701 Charles T. Parker Way), both in Scappoose.
Manufacturing Day will be free and open to the public from 2:30-3:15 p.m, on Friday, Oct. 7 with students visiting earlier in the day, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Parking is available at both sites.
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici watches a demonstration.
Part of the national MFG Day effort, the event is the largest of its kind in Oregon with more than 350 students from around the region participating in 2019. The event features live demonstrations of 3D printing, laser cutting and virtual welding, as well as engaging hands-on activities that provide regional students and community members an opportunity to learn about the world of advanced manufacturing. They also get an up-close look at the OMIC initiative, which includes PCC’s recently completed workforce training center.
PCC’s OMIC Training Center, built from the 2008 and 2017 PCC bond measures, is designed to inspire and prepare Oregon’s workforce for good-paying jobs and careers in advanced manufacturing. In the end, students benefit from industry-driven training and Oregon employers are able to hire workers who have the most current skill sets.
The training center offers a variety of manufacturing-related training programs, ranging from traditional career and technical education to apprenticeship models that combine on-the-job training with classroom and lab instruction. With an emphasis on craftsmanship, professionalism, and placing graduates into high-demand manufacturing jobs, students can complete an apprenticeship program and/or an associate degree or certificate leading to an advanced degree.
Learn more at www.pcc.edu/locations/columbia-county/
About Alfredo V. Moreno
Alfredo has served PCC's westside communities in both a community engagement and public relations capacity since September of 2018. Born in the border city of El Paso, Texas, Alfredo grew up in the timber town of Roseburg in Southern Oregon... more »