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Sociology Commons

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Portland State University

2014

Apprenticeship programs

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Full-Text Articles in Sociology

Building A More Diverse Skilled Workforce In The Highway Trades: Are Oregon’S Current Efforts Working?, Sarah Burd-Sharps, Kristen Lewis, Maura Kelly Oct 2014

Building A More Diverse Skilled Workforce In The Highway Trades: Are Oregon’S Current Efforts Working?, Sarah Burd-Sharps, Kristen Lewis, Maura Kelly

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Jobs in the highway construction trades have historically been primarily held by white men and largely remain so today; of those completing apprenticeships in the highway trades in Oregon between 2011 and early 2014, 83.4 percent were white men. Building a more diverse skilled workforce and making careers in these trades more accessible and appealing to women and people of color has proven challenging.

The state’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), in 2010 began a statewide effort—the Highway Construction Workforce Development Program—to find, train, and employ a diverse workforce for …