Worksystems, Inc. (WSI) is the project lead for the employment and training grant components and received $1 million for project activities from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration. WSI is working closely with the SW Washington Workforce Development Council and the Workforce Investment Council of Clackamas County to implement employment and training activities that will complement the work of our CTA partners by encouraging alignment of existing local advanced manufacturers with the clean tech supply chain through two approaches, described below:
1. Pipeline Preparation Strategy
Establishes a foundation of qualified talent to bolster the industry as it transforms (to support Clean Tech). Worksystems, Inc. (WSI) will oversee training for a pipeline of middle- to upper-skill workers in high-growth advanced manufacturing occupations, leading to industry-recognized credentials. This strategy will target long-term unemployed manufacturing workers (90 total participants) for On-the-Job training (OJT) and industry-specific skill upgrades, with the goal of retained employment in the expanding local advanced manufacturing industry. Training will prepare unemployed individuals for entry or advancement in the following occupations:
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Mechanical Engineers
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Industrial Production Managers
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Electrical Engineering Technicians
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Supervisors/Managers of Production and Operating Workers
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Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers
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Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators Metal and Plastic
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To connect to grant employment and training services, job seekers with educational backgrounds or professional experience in grant targeted occupations should contact the grant staff in their region:
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Shan Weggeland WorkSource Central 503.280.6039 |
Gayle Armstrong WorkSource Tualatin 503.612.4230 |
Darcy Hoffman WorkSource Vancouver 360.735.5038 |
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Tom Brown WorkSource Clackamas 503.594.3956 |
Bill Erb WorkSource Clackamas 503.594.3454 |
2. Business Development Training
Customized training for 50 advanced manufacturing business owners/managers that will help position their companies to enter or grow business opportunities in the clean tech supply chain. Training is provided by the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business and curriculum delivered in a series of multi-day customized workshops. UO will provide a certificate for participation in these professional development workshops designed for firms in this clean-tech initiative. Participating businesses will access 1-2 of the workshops and will continue to engage with the University on a series of follow up projects to realize the practical application of workshop content.
Proposed Workshop Timeline
| Workshop #1 – 2 days | mid-February 2013 |
| Workshop #2 – 1 day – Negotiation Skills | June 6th, 2013 |
| Workshops #3– Topics to be determined | Date – TBD |
Value of the workshops to the participant firms will be maximized by leveraging University assets for ensuing customized problem-solving projects and customized/applied research. These activities will take place via faculty supervised (advised) problem-solving class projects, practicum projects, cap-stone projects for undergraduates, strategic planning projects for MBAs, and faculty and doctoral student’s applied/benchmarking research in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, marketing, sustainability, & operations/supply chain management that have significant import to clean-tech firms.
Workshop 1 – Growing Clean Technology Businesses: Promise, Pitfalls, and Processes
(1.5 – 2.0 Days; Offered in mid-February, 2013)
This workshop will be offered by esteemed professor Andrew Nelson of the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business. For a bio and more information on professor Nelson go here:
http://pages.uoregon.edu/
Workshop 2 – Negotiation Skills
(1 Day; Offered June 6th, 2013)
Negotiation is a core skill used throughout business. It is used to navigate your daily and long term interactions with colleagues, suppliers, financiers, employers and employees, and partners. Great negotiators aren’t the table-pounding, mean guy. Great negotiators are creative, resourceful and thoughtful. Being a great negotiator is an advantage.
This workshop is designed to improve your negotiation skills. The context of the material and the simulations is to provide a self-aware analysis of negotiation in the workplace. The workshop explores the major concepts of negotiation, and gives participants the chance to practice deal making and conflict resolution through negotiation exercises. You will learn and practice the technical skills that are necessary to negotiate successfully. You will gain insights into your own and others’ styles.
This workshop will be taught by Dave Garten, Professor of Business in the Portland State University and Oregon Executive MBA programs. He teaches graduate courses in Business Strategy, Strategic Alliances and Acquisitions, and Negotiation. Dave also is Director of PSU’s MBA Capstone Consulting program.
For the full course description and instructor bio click here.
Application Process
Interested companies should click on the application graphic below to complete the application for participation in the Negotiation Skills training. Applications will be evaluated and businesses selected for participation by the U of O, WSI, the Portland Development Commission, the Oregon Microenterprise Network and other project partners. The registration fee for this management education workshop is $50 per participant to cover some nominal expenses. Please note that this management education workshop is being offered nearly free of charge because it is being funded by a federal grant as part of a capacity building initiative for the university to engage with the clean-tech cluster in the region. The checks should be made to University of Oregon and can be paid on the day of the workshop. Please indicate “JIAC-UO-ETA Workshop” in the memo section of your check.
Completed applications must be submitted to no later than May 28th, 2013. Applicants will be notified of selection into the course the following week. For questions about the workshop or application process please contact Jesse Aronson – – (503) 478-7324
Workshop Participant Enrollment and Tracking Requirements
Since these workshops are funded by a U.S. Department of Labor federal training grant, workshop participants will need to complete the grant enrollment process prior to the start date of the training. The grant enrollment process includes:
- Completion of an online, individual grant participant application. The application collects individual demographic information and will not take longer than 2 minutes to complete
- Provide a copy of a government issued photo identification to the University of Oregon the day of the workshop. This is to verify the age and identity of workshop participants.
Companies will also need to provide employment data to the University of Oregon for workshop participants for two quarters following workshop participation. This is a Department of Labor requirement to track participant job retention, wage increases and career advancement. Grant employment tracking data elements include:
- Employment retention data, for each worker trained, for 2 quarters following the completion of training
- Occupational data for workers trained (i.e., occupation title, employment start date, promotions or advancements after training, wage and wage gains.)
