Akana is a Native American owned professional services firm helping clients plan, design, engineer and manage projects in the built environment. Akana is a small business and DBE/MBE certified in multiple states. Learn more about who we are, our services and the history behind our firm.
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ODOT Boli Workforce Development
The Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) are pleased to introduce their new initiative: “Build your future. Build Oregon. Opportunities in the Highway Construction Trades” (Build Oregon). The Build Oregon initiative is a statewide effort to recruit new workers and retain skilled workers in the construction trades, especially the highway construction trades.
Recent figures from the Oregon Employment Department predict significant growth in the construction industry in the next 10 years. Up to 15,000 new workers will be needed to fill construction jobs.
Build Oregon is an effort to fill these jobs. By enhancing recruitment and retention efforts, Build Oregon is directly enhancing career opportunities for Oregon residents and is proactively addressing a severe shortage of skilled workers. Build Oregon will bring a range of services to communities across the state to assist current and aspiring heavy highway construction workers that include cement mason workers, heavy equipment opeartors (and allied trades), iron workers, carpenters (and allied trades), and laborers.
- Support services for current apprentices: To provide critical support such as remedial training, basic skills training, and mentoring services to further develop apprentice skills and enhance career opportunities
- Career Counseling for aspiring apprentices: To assess and address skill level. Build a job readiness plan to create a personal portfolio for your career in the Heavy Highway Construction trades.
- Direct assistance to current apprentices: To help apprentices meet basic expenses during training, such as transportation, travel, child care, and work attire and tools expenses
The Build Oregon initiative will complement local efforts to recruit and retain Oregon’s skilled construction workforce. Special efforts are being made to generate interest in under-represented demographic groups, such as women and minorities, in these high-paying careers. We look forward to working with your community.
Applicants
APPLICANT GUIDE
Build Your Future Build Oregon / Apprentice Guidance and Evaluation Services
Women and Minority pre-apprenticeship graduates are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applicants {including graduates of an OSATC (Oregon State Apprenticeship Training Council) approved
pre-apprenticeship program and/or Qualified Applicants of a Local Joint Committee for carpenters, cement masons, ironworkers, laborers, and/or operating engineers in all five (5) ODOT regions} who have been referred by a Work-Force Representative or by a Highway-related Apprenticeship Trade Representative will be eligible to receive the following services under the Build Your Future Build Oregon Program:
Build Oregon Apprenticeship Guidance and Evaluation Services:
- Orientation and Career Counseling including screening for the qualifications needed for the five (5) highway trades (carpenter, cement mason, ironworker, laborer and operating engineer), and assistance to apply to apprenticeship in these trades.
- Case Management. Applicants will need to complete the, “Intake and Minimum Qualifications Application.” This form will be provided to you and can be submitted via fax to 503.253.5412, or via email to Akana Heavy Highway Program. Following receipt of your application, you will be contacted by your Akana/Build Oregon Case Manager to schedule an interview. Your Case Manager will work closely with you towards achieving your career goals as an apprentice in the highway trades.
- Guidance to connect Qualified Applicants with appropriate survival and/or gateway jobs that will improve your readiness for apprenticeship training.
- Guidelines and Preparation for:
- Interviews with Contractors and Prospective Employers
- Apprenticeship Paperwork
- Layoffs and Job Changes, including your next steps should they occur
- Checklists and Resources for your highway trade of interest including:
- Tools of the Trade
- Work Clothing and Boots
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Financial Assistance for Qualified Applicants who are reasonably expected to be registered within six months in a carpenter, cement mason, iron worker, laborer, or operating engineer program and would not be able to accept a first apprenticeship job assignment without the assistance. The maximum amount provided for financial assistance shall be four hundred dollars ($400). Assistance shall be available for the following:
- Specialized seminars or training not provided by union, apprenticeship program, or employer; training may be in technical subjects (First Aid/CPR, HazMat Training, CDL, OSHA 10 hour training etc.), personal and professional development, and/or pathways to the trades
- Tools of the trade not provided by union, training program, or employer
- Work related clothing, boots, or uniforms (including water proof jackets. Carhartt apparel, and boots appropriate for the trade; excluding blue jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, sneakers, and any other street apparel) not provided by union, training program, or employer
- Repair of a vehicle required to report to work
- Instruction in skills that will help new apprentices to sustain themselves, particularly during the first year of an apprenticeship.
If you think you are qualified for Apprentice Guidance and Evaluation Services, please have your Highway-related Apprenticeship Trade Representative contact Penny Painter with Akana at 503.253.5429 to find out about referring you to the Build Your Future Build Oregon Program.
10 Ways To Research a Trade
- Research at least 3 trades. This will give you an advantage if you need to change your plans after you have made a decision.
- Check out the different trades by visiting these websites:• Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), Apprenticeship and Training Division, Construction Trades• Oregon Apprenticeship Construction Trade Locator and Career GuideAll state recognized apprenticeship programs in the State of Oregon are listed on the BOLI website.
- Contact apprenticeship programs for the trades you are considering and ask if they have a website address with information about their trade and the training they provide.
- Contact local training centers for the trades you are considering and ask if they have orientation sessions you can attend.
- Talk to others about the trades you are considering, especially workers in those trades. Use an informational interview process. This will help you remember the questions you want to ask. (An informational interview is a list of questions you prepare regarding the trade prior to the interview. We have some sample questions that you can use)
- Find books at the local library about the trades you are considering.
- Identify volunteer opportunities related to construction work. Get hands-on experience. Try different activities to see what you really like. Habitat for Humanity or REACH Community Development are good options for this.
- Identify pre-apprenticeship programs in your area. To find specific pre-apprenticeship programs, it is best to do a computer search for your area.Example: Pre-Apprenticeship Programs in Oregon >>> SearchExample: Pre-Apprenticeship Programs in Southern Oregon >>> Search
- Identify classes at a nearby community college that are related to the trades you are considering.
- Identify an entry level position related to the trade you are considering, such as material handling or working in a supplies/parts shop.
Choose your trade by the things you really like to do. Think about the type of work that you are passionate about. Consider the fact that you may spend years of your life learning and then practicing your trade. Understand that this is an investment. You will be investing yourself in your trade and your employers will be investing in you.
Make a good informed decision.
Workforce Development
The Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) are pleased to introduce their new initiative: “Build your future. Build Oregon. Opportunities in the Highway Construction Trades” (Build Oregon). The Build Oregon initiative is a statewide effort to recruit new workers and retain skilled workers in the construction trades, especially the highway construction trades.
Recent figures from the Oregon Employment Department predict significant growth in the construction industry in the next 10 years. Up to 15,000 new workers will be needed to fill construction jobs.
Build Oregon is an effort to fill these jobs. By enhancing recruitment and retention efforts, Build Oregon is directly enhancing career opportunities for Oregon residents and is proactively addressing a severe shortage of skilled workers. Build Oregon will bring a range of services to communities across the state to assist current and aspiring heavy highway construction workers that include cement mason workers, heavy equipment opeartors (and allied trades), iron workers, carpenters (and allied trades), and laborers.
- Support services for current apprentices: To provide critical support such as remedial training, basic skills training, and mentoring services to further develop apprentice skills and enhance career opportunities
- Career Counseling for aspiring apprentices: To assess and address skill level. Build a job readiness plan to create a personal portfolio for your career in the Heavy Highway Construction trades.
- Direct assistance to current apprentices: To help apprentices meet basic expenses during training, such as transportation, travel, child care, and work attire and tools expenses
The Build Oregon initiative will complement local efforts to recruit and retain Oregon’s skilled construction workforce. Special efforts are being made to generate interest in under-represented demographic groups, such as women and minorities, in these high-paying careers. We look forward to working with your community.
Future Projections
- Construction industry is projected to grow 10.2% from 2006 to 2016
- Construction Jobs with 15% (or greater) projected growth by 2016:
- Telecom equipment installers & repair (39.4%)
- Sales representatives (21.6%)
- Cost Estimators (19.5%)
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, Brazers (17.6%)
- Construction Managers (16.5%)
- Roofers (16.4%)
- Constructions Jobs with projected decline by 2016 as a result of technological improvement:
- General & Operations Managers (-0.8%)
- Payroll/Timekeeping Clerks (-0.1%)
- Inventory Recording/Scheduling/Dispatch/Distributing (-0.1%)
- Secretaries (-1.7%)
– Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via NAWIC Fact Sheet
- The construction industry’s urgent need for skilled workers creates opportunities for women to enter the field. – Women Can Build
- The construction industry alone anticipates a 2 million employee shortage by 2016 as five workers reach retirement age for every one (5:1) employee entering the industry. – Brad Kane, Hartford Business.com
WAGE AND BENEFITS:
- Construction careers offer women high wages and great benefits. The best thing about the wages for a woman in construction is that there is no glass ceiling. Every qualified journeyperson is paid the same. – Women Can Build
- A woman can expect to earn 20-30% more in a construction career than in a more traditional woman’s career. – Women Can Build
ARTICLES – Challenges Women Face and Success Stories on Women in Construction:
- Journal Article: Skilled Trades Are Tough To Crack; Women Fight to Gain Ground
Apprentices
Build Oregon may be able to assist current Oregon-registered apprentices meet basic expenses during training such as:
- Travel Assistance – If you are being dispatched and travel 60+ miles from home to the worksite, or if you are attending apprentice training 60+ miles from your home, you may qualify to be reimbursed for your mileage.
- Lodging / Meal Assistance – If you are being dispatched and travel 60+ miles and incur overnight costs to get to your worksite / training center, you may qualify to be reimbursed for these costs.
- Daycare Assistance – For your child(ren) under 12 years old.
- Mentoring / Advocacy Assistance – Free help is available for assistance with work-related issues.
- 1-on-1 Career Counseling with a Workforce Specialist.
- Basic Skills Development assistance.
- Tools / Work Gear of Personal Protective Equipment.
Pre-Apprentice Program
- The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided $3 million to GSA for on-the-job pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship training programs registered with the Dept. of Labor, for construction, repair and alteration projects funded by the Act.
- Pre-apprenticeship programs include on-the-job training, classroom training and work-life training in the construction industry.
- Two awards have been made: Oregon Trades Women, Inc. of Portland, Oregon and Community Services Agency of Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO of Washington, D.C.
– December 2009: AFL-CIP Program graduated 20 students
– December 2009: OTW Program graduated 23 students
Source: Women Construction Owners and Executives’ American Recovery and Reinvestment Act presentation
Links
Upcoming Events
BOLI-ODOT $$’ s Opportunity
This is a great opportunity! By attending this budget class apprentices can increase their benefits in the BOLI-ODOT Support Services Program. Example: if receiving the childcare support, attending this class will increase your benefits by a thousand dollars. If you are a first year apprentice and need to get assistance to travel more than 60 miles to perform your trade, attending this class increases the funding you can receive for all the travel support services.
Attending this class also provides the opportunity to network with and get to know other apprentices working out there, as well as learn about more benefits of the BOLI-ODOT Support Services Program.
BOLI-ODOT Budget Class
June 13, 2015 at 9:00am
Everyone must be on time! The building is locked on weekends. Everyone will be escorted in at the same time.
Location: 6400 SE Lake Road, 2nd floor conference room
Please enter to the N. Parking lot, it has the entrance with no stairs to get in the building.
Space is limited, first come, first serve. Filling up Fast!
Please email or call Penny to reserve your seat.
Direct (503) 205-4769 or Cell (503) 278-6519
For more information regarding the program contact penny.painter@akana.us or call 503.652.9090.
Recent Events
June 13, 2015 at 9:00 AM – BOLI-ODOT Budget Class – Location: Akana Office: 6400 SE Lake Road, Second Floor Conference Room, Portland OR 97222
Contact penny.painter@akana.us or call 503.652.9090 for more information regarding the program.
Press
- October 15, 2012. Watch the BOLI-ODOT video, “Real Help for Working Oregonians.”Through supportive services contracts with Cooper Zietz Engineers and the Oregon-Southern Idaho Laborers Employers Training Trust, the BOLI-ODOT Heavy Highway Workforce Development Program provides financial support to apprentices to help them succeed.This program is a joint effort to promote a diverse and well-trained workforce for the heavy highway construction industry.The 8-minute video profiles several apprentices of differing trades whose lives and careers have been positively influenced by the BOLI-ODOT Highway Construction Workforce Development Program.
- June 6, 2011. Read BOLI Commissioner Brad Avakian’s Message, “Advancing Employment Opportunities for Oregon”. Topics include:
- The Brad Tracker
- Updated PWR Rates to Take Effect on July 1st
- Avakian Wins Passage of Key Pro-Worker Legislation
- Legislative Update: BOLI Bills still moving as session winds down
- March 22, 2011. BOLI Awards Final Major Contract Under Highway Workforce Development Program (.pdf) Agreement with ACE Academy rounds out comprehensive effort to remove barriers to employment, to diversify the workforce, and to keep Oregonians on the job.PORTLAND – Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) today announced that it has awarded the Academy for Architecture, Construction & Engineering (ACE Academy) the final major contract under the 2011 BOLI-ODOT Heavy Highway Workforce Development Program.This statewide program will provide $1 million to support services that increase diversity in the highway construction workforce and help Oregonians gain and keep high-skill, living-wage jobs.“Nothing is more important to Oregon’s economy than expanding job opportunities for Oregon’s workers, and that’s what this program is all about,” said BOLI Commissioner Brad Avakian. “I’m particularly excited about our efforts to provide students with early training in the highway trades, and our partnership with ACE will focus on knocking down barriers that have traditionally stood in the way of young women pursuing careers in the construction industry.”Pursuant to its agreement with the state, ACE Academy will receive $19,974 to provide students with two in-depth orientations to highway construction careers, one this month, and one in June. Participating students will receive one-on-one tutoring, career mentoring, and hands-on training with construction repair projects.Previous agreements announced under the BOLI-ODOT program include: a $633,265 contract with Cooper Zeitz to provide training and support services statewide; a $172,870 contract with the Oregon and Southern Idaho Laborers-Employers Training Trust to provide training and support services statewide; a $101,313 contract with Portland Community College to provide training and support in the Portland/METRO region; and a $69,458 contract withPortland Youthbuilders focused on youth pre-apprenticeship services in the Portland/METRO region.
“Each of these contracts will play an important role in helping us develop a highly qualified construction workforce for the future,” said Oregon Department of Transportation Director Matt Garrett. “This program will open doors for Oregon workers, and it is a key part of our commitment to strengthen our transportation infrastructure and reinforce our economic foundation.”
The mission of the Bureau of Labor and Industries is to protect employment rights, advance employment opportunities, and protect access to housing and public accommodations free from discrimination.
- March 11, 2011. The Statesman Journal publishes the article, “Program aims to up interest in apprenticeships“
- February 25, 2011. The Portland Business Journal publishes the article, “Labor bureau issues construction cash“:”Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries has doled out highway money to a contractor that’s helping newer construction trades workers find their way into the field.The bureau on Monday revealed that Portland-based Cooper Zietz Engineers, four of its subcontractors and Portland Youthbuilders will each collect part of $1 million available through the Heavy Highway Workforce Development Program. The program, in which BOLI participates with the Oregon Department of Transportation, will connect current and aspiring Oregon workers, especially women and people of color, with services that support employment in the highway construction trades.Cooper Zietz will work with Lois D. Cohen Associates, Oregon Tradeswomen, NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Centerand Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute on projects funded by the money. Cooper Zietz and its subcontractors will receive about $633,200.The money for the program comes from federal highway funds. BOLI will announce more contract awards soon.”
- February 22, 2011. BOLI Commisioner Brad Avakian’s Message discusses the BOLI-ODOT Heavy Highway Workforce Development Program. Read the full article here (pdf)
- February 14, 2011. BOLI Awards First Contracts to Reduce Barriers to Employment
Program will help keep Oregonians on the job, recruit and retain women and people of colorPORTLAND – Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) announced today that Cooper Zietz Engineers, working with four subcontractors, and Portland Youthbuilders have each been awarded a portion of the $1 million available through the BOLI-ODOT Heavy Highway Workforce Development Program. The program will connect current and aspiring Oregon workers, especially women and people of color, with services that support employment in the highway construction trades.“This is priority one for BOLI: helping Oregonians to get and keep high-skill, living-wage jobs,” said State Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, head of BOLI. “We are eager to see the impact of these services on recruitment and retention of women and people of color, helping them to overcome traditional barriers to good jobs and career pathways in construction.”“It is in the best interests of every Oregonian that we build a qualified workforce that can successfully compete in the state marketplace,” said Oregon Department of Transportation Director Matt Garrett. “The BOLI-ODOT Program will help us do that by removing barriers for people who want to enter the highway construction industry.”Cooper Zietz will work with Lois D Cohen Associates, Oregon Tradeswomen, NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Centerand Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute to provide information to students interested in the highway construction trades, prepare individuals to enter an apprenticeship program, and support apprentices who are starting their careers. The Cooper Zietz contract includes mentoring, travel assistance and child care subsidies that will help Oregonians to prepare for, accept, and maintain employment in construction trades statewide. Cooper Zietz and its subcontractors will receive about $633,200 for services in all five ODOT regions as part of the BOLI-ODOT Program.The Portland Youthbuilders contract includes over $69,000 in funding focused on youth pre-apprenticeship services in the Portland/METRO region, including orientations to the trades, career counseling, training in foundational skills and apprenticeship preparation. Portland Youthbuilders is a state-approved pre-apprenticeship program and an AmeriCorps affiliate, qualifying participants to apply for educational assistance to prepare for careers in the trades.
“The proposals that we are funding will attack recruitment and retention issues from several directions,” Avakian said. “This strategy will bring a range of services to communities around the state, directly enhancing the employment opportunities of Oregonians.”
BOLI will announce more contract awards soon, including additional services reaching regions outside the Portland Metro Area.