State-Of-Black-Oregon-2015

Work-Ready Communities, we must first addressspecific barriers facing Black Oregonians by:• Increasing awareness of the “Certified Work-Ready Community” initiative and how BlackOregonians can participate, become certifiedand benefit from the initiative• Identifying areas of strength and areas that willrequire additional support to close skills gapsin the Black community• Developing ways to link the work-readinesscertification levels of the assessment with thereal work experience, professional certificationsand credentials—or lack thereof—of BlackOregonians so they can use the certification toinform their career path or secure employment• Ensure related economic developmentefforts establish local hiring goals and utilizecommunity benefits agreements3Expand workforce developmentfor Black OregoniansOregon’s public workforce development systemis investing significantly in coordinated newways to meet the needs of both employersand Oregon’s un/underemployed population,but Black Oregonians are not taking enoughadvantage of available workforce education,training and development services to makeneeded changes. This is due to chronicunemployment within the Black community, atechnology gap, lack of sufficient transportationand access to job training opportunities, higherrates of criminal justice involvement, poor creditand poor health outcomes.We can improve Black Oregonians’ access toworkforce development by:• Creating new training programs to matchprojected high-demand, high-wageemployment opportunities for BlackOregonians• Ensuring that WorkSource Oregon,community-based organizations and othernonprofits are working together to producegreater employment outcomes for BlackOregonians• Developing ways for Black Oregonians toexplore in-demand career opportunities,map their career pathway and get culturallyappropriate career coaching and counseling,through training and during the first year onthe job• Developing industry-specific networkinggroups to help mentor Black students, traineesand new employees as their career progresses• Establishing a specific education and trainingfund for Black Oregonians that helps themachieve their career goals by: accessingemployment and training services; loweringcosts for tuition, books, fees, fines, licensesand childcare during the training period; andgaining greater access to paid internships andon-the-job training• Secure stable funding for culturally specificnon-profits providing workforce services forBlack Oregonians• Ensure goals for Black recruitment andcompletion of apprenticeship programs4SupportentrepreneurshipSupporting the growth of small businesses andentrepreneurship in Oregon is not only a criticalpart of wealth creation in Black communities,but is also a significant source of jobs for allOregonians.All entrepreneurs, even the most successful,need help along the way. They need capitalto fund their growth, operational experience,industry expertise, and a peer network to call onfor shared information. Oregon needs to investin un/underemployed communities to ensurethat existing businesses are protected in urbanrenewal areas and that community investmentefforts address barriers to small business growthin Black communities.109