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
Photos and story by Abe Proctor
U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh with 小黄猫传媒 President Mark Mitsui talk to the media about what they learned on the 小黄猫传媒 tour.
Cutting-edge workforce training and education took center stage on March 24 when U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh 鈥 joined by U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Oregon Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle 鈥 toured Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center (OMIC) Training Center at 小黄猫传媒鈥檚 Columbia County Center in Scappoose.
鈥淚鈥檓 here today to look at what the future of labor looks like,鈥 said Walsh, himself a community college graduate. 鈥淲henever I go to a new state, I go to the community colleges, and I see the energy and the life that鈥檚 there. Community college gave me an educational foundation that I just didn鈥檛 get in high school.鈥
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 小黄猫传媒, includes Portland State University, Oregon State University, the Oregon Institute of Technology, and a wide range of private companies. OMIC鈥檚 mission, carried out both at 小黄猫传媒鈥檚 training center and at OMIC鈥檚 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 center鈥檚 welding, machining and mechatronics labs, and heard from faculty about the equipment in use at the center 鈥 all of it current to industry standards 鈥 and from students about their experiences.
鈥淥MIC and 小黄猫传媒 have really helped me with my future career choices,鈥 said Brandon Roady, a welding student and resident of Scappoose. 鈥淲ith what I鈥檝e learned here, I know I can find a good job just about anywhere.鈥
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.
鈥淭he way to invest in the future of labor is through community colleges,鈥 he said.
To learn more about the 小黄猫传媒 OMIC Training Center, visit /locations/columbia-county/.