Metro's implementation
Want to learn more about Metro's implementation? Read the documents presented to Council that outline the specific actions being taken.
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Greater Portland is growing and the high-wage construction industry is growing with it. There is an anticipated need for 15,000 new construction jobs in the next 10 years at a time when 20% of the region’s workforce is nearing retirement age.
Our shared challenge
There is a lack of diversity in the construction trades in greater Portland – especially across higher skilled construction occupations. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and women face multiple barriers in accessing and sustaining construction careers. The inconsistent nature of construction work, lack of career ladders at construction firms, and insufficient funding and resources for education, job training and support services are among the factors that limit career employment.
The path forward
To address these challenges, the Construction Career Pathways policy framework and toolkit outlines seven critical strategies to provide reliable career pathways for women and BIPOC people. These strategies were developed by the Public Owner Workgroup, which was comprised of 16 public agencies, and included significant input from industry and community stakeholders. Currently, six public agencies have formally adopted the framework:
- Metro
- Prosper Portland
- Multnomah County
- Portland Public Schools
- City of Portland
- Clackamas County
Metro will be working with additional jurisdictions to adopt the framework, support their implementation and build collaboration to increase the impact of these strategies throughout the region.
Metro role
Metro will partner with other public agencies, workforce investment boards, community based organizations, labor groups, and industry stakeholders to move the strategies in the framework forward. Metro has already:
- Conducted a comprehensive market study to build a shared understanding of opportunities and challenges facing people of color and women in the construction trades
- Convened stakeholders to develop an agreed-upon set of tools and policies for adoption by government partners.
- Established the Regional Collaboration Committee, as outlined in the framework, to review regional data, coordinate problem solving and identify strategic investments for into the workforce supply.