Future Ready Oregon Passes Oregon House

SALEM, Ore. – Today, the Oregon House passed Senate Bill 1545 B, a $200 million investment in job training, workforce supports and career pathways in key sectors like health care, manufacturing and construction.

Investing in the workforce

“As we build a recovery that lifts up every Oregonian, we must invest in our workforce” said Rep. John Lively (D-Springfield), chair of the House Committee on Economic Recovery and Prosperity. “By increasing access to skills training and building up pathways to quality jobs, we can meet the needs of essential industries and put more Oregonians on the road to stability and prosperity.”

In the final quarter of 2021, the Oregon Employment Department (OED) reported over 100,000 job vacancies in the private sector, 76% of which were reported “hard to fill” by employers. The construction and manufacturing sectors each accounted for over 10,000 openings, while the health care industry accounted for more than 25,000 openings.

“In rural areas and across the state, the need for a strong workforce in the health care sector has never been greater,” said Rep. David Gomberg (D-Central Coast). “This bill will unlock Oregonians’ potential and support economic growth.”

Target recipients

The package makes a range of investments in workforce across the state, including building up community college career pathway training programs, developing apprenticeship programs in health care and manufacturing, increasing opportunities for students to receive academic credit for skills or prior experience and creating wrap-around supports and job placement services for disadvantaged Oregonians.

Several programs are targeted at the needs of Oregonians who face barriers to stable and good-paying careers, including low-income people, people of color, veterans, people in rural or frontier communities and older Oregonians.

The bill passed the House 48-10 and now heads to the governor for her signature