Tillamook Bay Community College (TBCC) has partnered with Oregon Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (OCJATC) to help provide distance learning across all OCJATC jurisdictions. Oregon Carpenters JATC provides training as an approved Registered Apprenticeship program, regulated by the Bureau of Labor and Industries. O’Brien Design+Build is a founding member of the OCJATC, and along with their partners SunWest Builders, CS Construction, and Kirby Nagelhout Construction provide training across Tillamook, Clatsop, Yamhill, and Deschutes counties.
As a Related Training Provider, TBCC will give all OCJATC apprentices access to NCCER-certified asynchronous (remote) education. Currently, lectures and labs for O’Brien apprentices are set up in one area, for some this could be an hour away or more. Apprentices may be commuting long distances, having to find childcare, transportation, or driving in inclement weather to reach their classes.
Not only will asynchronous education bring a multitude of benefits to this apprenticeship program, but so will new training sites. The OCJATC will be offering training sites at multiple locations instead of one, helping apprentices save time, money, and resources beyond the benefits of asynchronous education. Training sites set up by O’Brien and the OCJATC will be located throughout the Oregon Coast, Central Oregon, and the Portland Valley with oversite provided by TBCC and the OCJATC.
Public works projects often require that the General Contractor verify that a certain percentage of the total work hours will be performed by state-registered apprentices. This is in line with the good faith efforts to recruit and engage the diversity of a skilled workforce which often have the most barriers in accessing and sustaining construction careers. The construction industry is responding to the need to secure skilled workers by partnering with others and supporting apprenticeship programs such as this.
“We are excited to be partnering with TBCC CTE to remove barriers to accessing learning about good career paths. TBCC’s Dean of Career-Technical Education, Sherry Cook, quickly identified opportunities, developed key connections with NCCER and BOLI representatives, and then put elements in place for us to offer classes as soon as this Fall,” stated Elly Carroll, O’Brien’s Director of Human Resources. “I could tell that not only did Sherry and her team already have a solid foundation for learning, but they were also ahead of the curve with the technology and resources needed to support the non-traditional education experience. This is indicative of a community with strong support and care for their workforce’s growth and success.”
This partnership was created to solve the strong demand for Carpenters in Oregon and support CTE programs and apprenticeships that will benefit the local economy, workforce, and educational opportunities in Oregon’s communities.