Oregon's Center Directors gather outside the capital building in Salem.

On August 16th, the center directors from all five Oregon Job Corps centers gathered in the state capital of Salem to meet with Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s Labor and Workforce staff to discuss the impact Job Corps has on the state’s economy. Each center had contributed information on how many students they serve, how many staff are employed, as well as placement numbers and high school diploma and GED completions.

“We wanted to bring together all the directors to give a complete picture of how Job Corps helps the state overall,” explained Springdale Job Corps Center’s director Naomi Ulsted. “Rather than have one of us meet and speak for everyone, it was important to show the diversity in the population we serve as well as in what Job Corps offers Oregon’s citizens.”

The directors met with Elana Pirtle-Guiney, who handles police around the labor market and workforce for the governor. The attendees were able to educate Ms. Pirtle-Guiney on what Job Corps does and the training provided by each center. Springdale Business & Community Liaison Anna Snyder put together a presentation of key information provided by each center, including the unemployment rates for the counties each center is in, drop out rates for those counties, and graduate success stories. “It was important to show economic impact as well as the social impact of the program on the state,” said Anna.

“Meeting with everyone in Salem was another part of our on-going effort to build a community among the centers in our state,” Naomi continued. “We are committed to working together to provide the best training available and to raise Job Corps’ profile.”