Back to Work Oregon is a statewide hire first program that places unemployed job seekers in jobs while providing resources to the businesses to help train the new employees. This $6.3M initiative launched in 2011 with the goal of getting Oregon’s economy back on track. Worksystems administers Back to Work Oregon in our region and since its inception, the program has helped employ and train 1,600 area job seekers while providing nearly 500 local employers with the talent they need to grow their businesses and our economy.
Data is current through the end of the most recent quarter. Dashboards are updated within a month of the end of the quarter.
Key Findings and Lessons Learned:
On-the-job training through Back to Work Oregon works for entry level positions as well as highly skilled jobs with a wage at placement spread of $10/hour (entry level, low skill) to $30/hour (Electrical Engineer). As this was a multi-year project with an annual funding allocation, the time gap between funding periods created disruptions with staffing as well as employer relations.
