SB 1545 (2022) provided a $200 million investment package, referred to as “Future Ready Oregon,” and enacted several provisions related to workforce development, including a directive to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC), in consultation with the State Workforce and Talent Development Board, to establish a program to convene three statewide industry consortia representing the healthcare, technology, and manufacturing industry sectors. Consortia were tasked to:
- develop targeted recruitment strategies to increase participation in workforce programs by individuals from priority populations;
- identify industry-specific workforce needs in the state; and
- promote workforce development programs in the targeted industry sectors.
Beginning in March 2023, Oregon Consensus has provided overall process support and consultation to HECC as well as facilitation for the initial meetings of the full consortia and ongoing facilitation support for workgroups and focus groups.
Materials about the Future Ready Industry Consortia can be found on the HECC website.