Secretary Walsh to Visit Portland to Discuss Federal Investments in Workforce Development, Clean Energy Economy

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh will travel to Portland on Thursday, March 24, to discuss the value and importance of workforce training in strengthening the nation’s economy with elected officials and local leaders.

The visit follows Secretary Walsh’s recent announcement of the Department of Labor’s “Good Jobs Initiative,” a coordinated effort by the Biden-Harris administration to improve job quality nationwide with the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed on Nov. 15, 2021.

Secretary Walsh will first join Rep. Suzanne Bonamici for a tour of the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center, an applied research and development and workforce training center, which serves the region’s advanced manufacturers. The visit will highlight future-ready workforce training programs and dynamic public-private sector partnerships.

Secretary Walsh and Rep. Bonamici will then be joined by Gov. Kate Brown and Rep. Earl Blumenauer for a tour of the NECA-IBEW Training Center and a roundtable discussion with local labor, business and workforce development representatives. They will discuss how transitioning to a clean energy economy by investing in workforce development programs can provide quality job training while protecting our climate.

This is Secretary Walsh’ second trip to Oregon, after visiting Eugene in August 2021 to discuss the administration’s Build Back Better agenda and the department’s protections for farmworkers.