The Oregon Consortium and Oregon Workforce Alliance is a public/private partnership formed on behalf of 24 rural Oregon Counties.  Our mission is to “Help Rural Oregon Work” by through work that supports our Vision for 2012:

To be the driving force for an evolution in attitudes and behavior at every level, that embraces, the necessity for Oregon’s citizens, business and industries to “skill up,” ultimately revolutionizing our rural economies.  This vision is supported by the development and targeted investment o revenues, curriculum, infrastructure, political pathways and partnerships. 

The Oregon Consortium (TOC) was formed by the 24 member counties, in 1981 under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act.  The organization later transitioned through the Job Training Partnership Act and in 1999, the member counties chose again, to maintain TOC to administer the Workforce Investment Act.  TOC is represented by its Board of Directors that consists of one local elected official from each of the 24 member counties.

The other half of the partnership, the Oregon Workforce Alliance (OWA) – Workforce Investment Board, was formed in November of 1999 and replaced The Oregon Private Industry Council, Inc. that served the 24 county area since 1982.  The OWA fulfills the requirements of a Workforce Investment Board as required by the Workforce Investment Act, consists of 48 members, with the majority representing private business.

In a blended fashion, these two bodies oversee the administration of the Workforce Investment Act and a variety of projects and grants, via an Administrative Office located in Albany, Oregon and a network of regional grant recipients, service providers and the Regional Workforce Investment Boards which have been developed over the past five years.

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TOC/OWA has a long history as a leader and innovator in the Workforce Development arena.  Awards and citations for the organizations date back to the 1980’s and as recently as August of 2004.

Benefits of the Consortium include technical and program assistance for National Emergency Grants and Disaster Grants currently underway.  Opportunities to participate in innovative programs such as the Rural Oregon Partnership for Employment project for youth offenders – currently in progress across the 24 counties, as well as on-going programmatic guidance, quality assurance and technical assistance.