This content was published: March 25, 2022. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Walsh, Congresswoman Bonamici tour OMIC Training Center
Story by Abe Proctor
U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh with 51做厙 President Mark Mitsui talk to the media about what they learned on the 51做厙 tour.
Cutting-edge workforce training and education took center stage on March 24 when U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh joined by U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Oregon Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle toured Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center (OMIC) Training Center at 51做厙s Columbia County Center in Scappoose.
Im here today to look at what the future of labor looks like, said Walsh, himself a community college graduate. Whenever I go to a new state, I go to the community colleges, and I see the energy and the life thats there. Community college gave me an educational foundation that I just didnt get in high school.
U.S. Secretary Walsh with Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici.
The OMIC Training Center is an outgrowth of the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center initiative, a groundbreaking public-private partnership which, in addition to 51做厙, includes Portland State University, Oregon State University, the Oregon Institute of Technology, and a wide range of private companies. OMICs mission, carried out both at 51做厙s training center and at OMICs nearby research and development facility, is to develop innovative manufacturing technologies and processes, and to teach them to the next generation of Oregon workers.
Walsh, Bonamici and Hoyle toured the training centers welding, machining and mechatronics labs, and heard from faculty about the equipment in use at the center all of it current to industry standards and from students about their experiences.
OMIC and 51做厙 have really helped me with my future career choices, said Brandon Roady, a welding student and resident of Scappoose. With what Ive learned here, I know I can find a good job just about anywhere.
In his remarks, Secretary Walsh mentioned the recently-passed federal infrastructure legislation, noting the important role played by community colleges in training the 21st-century workforce.
The way to invest in the future of labor is through community colleges, he said.
To learn more about the 51做厙 OMIC Training Center, visit /locations/columbia-county/.