Port and BMCC announce new partnership
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, January 11th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
BOARDMAN – Blue Mountain Community College is trying to anticipate its role in a rapidly changing economy. President Mark Browning said he’s willing to think outside the box, including a unique partnership with the Port of Morrow for the Boardman campus.
“You know, there’s an old saying that you always skate where the puck is going to be, not to where it’s at right now, because that puck moves pretty fast,” he said. “That’s our economy. It’s moving pretty fast. Where is it going?”
Browning said that industries need skilled workers and they need them now. The partnership with the port will help answer that need. A series of free, non-credit classes are offered at the BMCC Workforce Training Center and people can also train on the port’s new forklift simulator.
The courses include Microsoft Word and Excel and computer applications for beginners. The college is also offering a new language-learning platform that can be accessed remotely. The forklift simulator is available during regular business hours. It operates utilizing multiple languages.
