Narrative: III. a. 2. E.

Post-Secondary Education and Training Attainment:

Oregon House Bill 2311 (2017) directed the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) and the Workforce and Talent Development Board (WTDB) to establish a statewide educational attainment goal for adult Oregonians separate from 40-40-20. The HECC and WTDB convened the Adult Attainment Workgroup who recommended the following statewide adult attainment goal:

Oregon anticipates more than 120,000 additional jobs requiring post-secondary training or education between now and 2030. In order to meet this need, 300,000 additional adult Oregonians should earn a new degree, certificate, or credential valued in the workforce during that time. Because Oregon has substantial attainment gaps among minority, low income, and rural Oregonians, the state will also commit to reducing those attainment gaps by half during the decade.

The HECC adopted the Workgroup’s recommended Adult Attainment Goal in November 2018. The Goal applies to adults 25 to 64 years old who not currently enrolled in a high school equivalency program, an institution of higher education, or another post-secondary training program.

House Bill 2311 aligns state statute with how the 40-40-20 goal has been most commonly understood since its inception: as reflecting the need to improve P-20 educational outcomes for today’s younger learners, ensuring that they enter adulthood ready and able to succeed in Oregon’s economy and civic life. At the same time, HB 2311 reinforces the state’s commitment to ambitious educational outcomes for working-age adult Oregonians. This new Adult Attainment Goal is aligned with career trajectories, education interests, and job opportunities.

To help guide the realization of the Goal, the Adult Learner Advisory Committee (ALAC) was formed in 2019 having broad representation of post-secondary institutions both public and private and workforce training programs. The ALAC is connected through its membership and through the HECC and WTDB to all of Oregon’s post-secondary universities, colleges, schools, and training programs. The ALAC will;

• Develop strategies and disseminate best practices regarding how adults gain skills outside the traditional P-20 education system pipeline;
• Develop strategies and disseminate best practices addressing education and training attainment gaps among minority, low-income, and rural adult Oregonians;
• Serve as an advisory group to connect and align multiple adult attainment efforts within the HECC (e.g. TIE Partnership Grant, prison education and training, Outreach, Adult Basic Skills, GED®, etc.);
• Investigate and provide recommendations regarding the evolving definition of “credential of value”;
• Develop and maintain a list of Oregon credentials of value;
• Evaluate progress toward achievement of the Adult Attainment Goal; and
• Recommend investments to facilitate achievement of the Adult Attainment Goal (e.g. grants, scholarships, etc.).
• Act as an ongoing steering and advisory body to the HECC, WTDB, and state agency staff tasked with programs and investments related to achieving the Adult Attainment Goal during the life of the Goal or until sunset by a decision of the HECC and WTDB;

• Act as a primary resource regarding adult education and training in Oregon;
• Engage in the ongoing development and revision of the HECC and WTDB strategic plans;
• Convene stakeholders and experts as needed; and
• Report jointly to the HECC and WTDB as needed or requested.

Higher Education Coordinating Commission:

In addition, the HECC has responsibility for developing state budget recommendations, allocating state funding, and approving new academic programs at Oregon’s community colleges and universities. Having WIOA Title I and II programs and the WTDB as a part of the HECC agency creates natural alignment with Oregon’s community colleges and universities. This results in greater coordination of education and workforce development services for the benefit of all customers.

Oregon Talent Assessment:

The Oregon Talent Assessment (2018) is business and industry’s determination of in-demand occupations, skills, talent, gaps, and trends. Its goal of this report is to elevate the understanding of Oregon’s skills problem by creating common data and language that can be shared across employers, educators, and workforce intermediaries. Many post-secondary representatives were a part of the 2018 Talent Summit which provided insight into the report. The report itself was broadly shared and discussed with post-secondary institutions and programs. The Talent Assessment is being updated in 2020 and the 2020 Talent Summit’s theme is: What learning looks like for youth, adults, and transitioning workers in the 21st century?

Industry Sector Strategies:

Post-secondary education including community colleges, universities, K–12, and trade schools is a key partner in industry sector strategies. These provide education and training to the locally-driven sector partnerships depending on the industry’s needs and goals. The key to this strategy is the explicit engagement of education at the secondary and postsecondary levels with workforce development and business. Sector partnerships make these connections at the regional level and make these partnerships successful.

Partner Engagement:

Title II providers in Oregon are currently community colleges, which leverages the connection between adult education and literacy programs and postsecondary education and training programs. Oregon actively promotes transitions to postsecondary education through investment of state leadership funds into academic bridge programs such as Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I–BEST), Vocational English as a Second Language (VESL), and Oregon Pathways for Adult Basic Skills (OPABS) programs. Oregon has also invested heavily in the alignment of adult education content standards with the College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards. The CCR standards and training modules have been shared with core programs and partner programs through a series of training sessions supported by the Moving Pathways Forward initiative.

Title IV, Vocational Rehabilitation and the Oregon Commission for the Blind, have MOUs with all 17 community colleges that include language around working with the college’s disability services offices to ensure that our joint students get the services and accommodations they need to access educational opportunities.

Trade Act’s memorandum of understandings (MOUs) with each of the 17 community colleges includes language to maintain designated point of contacts for communication as well as providing a space on campus for Trade Act Navigators (TANs) to work. TANs can be available on campus as necessary to assist new trade-affected workers navigate educational processes, assist those currently in training, and work with trade-affected workers who are in their last term of training with job readiness and work search. 

The Trade Act Liaison works at the administrative level and assists with any process misalignments between education and the Trade Act program to improve the shared student experience and completion rates for trade-affected workers. The Trade Act Liaison also attends two quarterly community college meetings, the Oregon Career Pathway Alliance and the Pathways to Opportunity consortiums for continued outreach, collaboration, and education of Trade Act program processes, laws, rules, and activity levels statewide.

Oregon’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) program has engagement with educational institutions through the Training Unemployment Insurance (TUI) and the Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) program. Both programs enable customers to receive training at education and training providers while receiving UI benefits. Eligible customers are referred to WorkSource Oregon to help determine best matches for labor market, career goals, and educational institutions during the initial stages of the application process.