Central Oregon Community College has received two work force development grants. A $318,440 federal grant will provide targeted job training and education and a $40,308 state grant will help students complete the college’s automotive technology program. Both grants are designed to strengthen Oregon’s work force and put people back to work.
The federal grant will be used to develop programs that provide help for workers seeking family-wage jobs and also meet specific industry needs as well. The funds will also be used for ‘career coaches’ who will help students enroll, make steady progress, complete a credential and secure employment.
COCC is part of an Oregon consortium, led by Clackamas Community College, that was among 32 national recipients of federal grants funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. The grants will be used to support partnerships between community colleges and employers to develop these targeted programs.
The Oregon consortium, called the Oregon Credentials, Acceleration and Support for Employment (CASE) Consortium, includes all of the state’s 17 community colleges. The colleges will use the three-year $18,679,289 grant to work with the Oregon Employment Department/Trade Act Program, local work force boards, employers and community partners to support under- and unemployed workers and those eligible for Trade Act Adjustment benefits in each of the state’s 36 counties.
The COCC Adult Basic Skills Department has received a two-year Career Pathways Grant from the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development.
The grant will be used to design programs to increase the number of students who transition from GED preparation courses to the Automotive Technology program, to develop a basic automotive math course to increase the number of students with low math placement scores who successfully complete a Automotive Technology certificate, and to develop courses that combine classroom and online learning for the Automotive Technology program.
For more information about the grants, contact Jenni Newby, COCC instructional dean at 541-383-7562 or Debbie Hagan, director of secondary programs at 541-504-2912.
