http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/index.php Portland and surrounding area community news and information http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430910578805900 Some employers are having no trouble finding new workers. One of them is AboutUs Inc., a startup company that has created a Web directory using what’s called wiki software, which creates text that can be edited by anyone. Dozens of local computer buffs and wiki fans show up for Wiki ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430932937428100 For Ryan Oium, everything fell into place. After the 28-year-old Army National Guard member returned from a stint in Afghanistan in June 2007, he took a few months to decompress and then got bored. Not knowing what he wanted to do, Oium stopped by Portland Community College’s Capital Career ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430934921453900 Erin Chambers thought she’d have no trouble finding work again after she was laid off from her salon job. But with the economy slowing and people cutting back on extras, Chambers looked in vain for months before going to Project Enterprise, a job placement service run jointly by Mt. Hood ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430914496632200 One problem with discussing work-force development issues is that there’s no single, commonly accepted definition of the term. Many employers think it means training a potential employee to do a specific job. But federal and state officials think work-force development can mean providing a ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430926872692100 Much more needs to be done with the work-force development system to meet the demands of the 21st century economy, according to dozens of government officials, employers and workers who discussed the issue with the Portland Tribune. In fact, several of those most deeply involved with it question ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430930882050200 It all boils down to this: There are not enough local workers with the skills that companies like mine need to meet our labor needs. Four years ago, the Manufacturing 21 Coalition was formed to address our industry’s hunger for well-prepared employees and the quest for workers with the ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430928859375200 When the Legislature funded the third Oregon Transportation Investment Act in 2003, it directed Oregon’s Department of Transportation to repair or replace hundreds of aging bridges and to outsource the work to private companies, thereby improving the economy through expanded job opportunities ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430918669832700 Mary McFadyen never thought she’d come back to work for the city of Portland after retiring as a senior human resources analyst almost eight years ago. But last September, McFadyen got a call from her former boss, Portland Human Resources Director Yvonne Deckard, asking her to consider ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430924742685600 Maureen Mitchell stands within the skeleton of her new office on the third floor of the Nursing and Allied Health Center under construction on Southeast Harmony Road just west of 82nd Avenue. Mitchell is the dean of health sciences at Clackamas Community College, which is building the center as ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430906387795000 Eric Ginter is proof that manufacturing jobs are not all being shipped overseas. Two years ago, the 24-year-old former Marine was patrolling dangerous back streets in Iraq. Today, he’s an apprentice machinist at Columbia Wire & Iron Works, earning more than $16 an hour plus benefits, ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430916601864800 ortland’s loss may be a big gain for high school students in eastern Multnomah County who are interested in the construction trades. In 2006, a Portland school board advisory committee turned down an application to open a charter school focused on construction-related job skills. The ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430904274094900 Emily New remembers when she first realized she wanted to be an architect. “When I was in middle school, I just started building plans,” she said. “It felt good to be able to control the design of something from start to finish.” Now a senior at Wilson High School, New is ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430902192477200 Duncan Wyse remembers when good-paying, low-skill jobs were easy to come by. Wyse is president of the Oregon Business Council, a consortium of major employers that studies and recommends public policy related to the economy, including the work-force development field. When Wyse was going to ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430908471407700 Beginning this year, dozens of nonprofit work-force development agencies will enter detailed information about their clients into a common computer database. The agencies are those that contract with Worksystems Inc., a nonprofit organization that distributes federal work-force development in ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/rethinking/story.php?story_id=120430899938795600 It’s no secret – people with good-paying, rewarding jobs tend to live more productive, beneficial lives. “Generally, people with high-paying jobs contribute more to society. Their children tend to do better in school, they vote more, they are more civilly engaged overall,” ...