Baker Technical Institute Is getting Future Ready with Nearly $90,000
By Garrett Christensen on Wednesday, January 25th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY – (Information from the Oregon Higher Education Commission) The Oregon Higher Education Commission announced that Baker Technical Institute (BTI) will be receiving $89,500 dollars as part of the first wave of grants for the Future Ready Oregon Workforce program. Specifically, BTI will be using the funds to support its Manufacturing Academy and described the project as follows:
“The goal of BTI’s Manufacturing Academy is to get students in, get them trained and have them ready to work in 5-weeks. The manufacturing academy training series will address several key industry components, including developing acuity in technology driven skills through Computer Aided Design, 3D Printing and Computer Navigated Cutting. Participants will also receive training in welding and fabrication, forklift certification, First Aid/CPR and Hazardous Waste First Responder certification.”
For those unfamiliar with the Future Ready program, the Higher Education Commission gave the following description in its release:
“The Workforce Ready Round One: Capacity Building grants successfully expand the state’s network of workforce partnerships with community-based and culturally specific organizations and workforce service providers whose projects were selected in a competitive grant process.
The Workforce Ready Grant program investment of $95 million is the largest component of the $200 million investment made by the 2022 Oregon State Legislature through Senate Bill 1545, a package of investments that work together to advance an equitable workforce system. The investment provides direct financial supports and wraparound services to jobseekers from priority populations pursuing careers in the high demand fields of healthcare, manufacturing, and technology. This first round of grants was intended to broaden the type, number, and capacity of organizations that comprise Oregon’s workforce system. The HECC received a very strong applicant pool—146 complete applications, requesting over $70 million in total—and plans to launch a second round of grant opportunities in coming months.”
