The latest reports, news, and documents from the Oregon Business Council and its initiative partners: 

OREGON BUSINESS PLAN

Fix PERS. Invest Wisely in Education. Build the Bridge. These were the key themes of the Oregon Business Plan Leadership Summit December 3, 2012.

Among important initiatives in health care, public finance, forestry, and others, these were presented to nearly 1,000 business and public leaders as critical and especially ripe for action in the Oregon Business Plan for 2013.

PERS. We must make further repairs to PERS retirement provisions that are unfunded, unsustainable, and a threat to public budgets that fund essential services from education to law enforcement to the social safety net.

Education. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redesign public education so it produces better outcomes for both our students and our economy. Our education system evolved to suit the needs of another era and can’t be fixed by money alone or simply “trying harder.” It needs to be redesigned. We’ve started that process and must stay the course.

The Bridge. We’ve spun our wheels long enough on the Columbia River Crossing project. The old bridge is a bottleneck to commerce and economic growth. If we don’t act soon, we’ll lose out on federal funding and may not have another chance for decades to address this need.

The Oregon Business Plan website is now fully updated with all of the content from the event including video, slides and policy proposals. The site is a year-round resource for the latest information on how to meet the Oregon Business Plan goals of creating 25, 000 new jobs per year and raising the incomes of Oregonians above the national average. 

Videos

  • Savannah Loberger, a Hillsboro High School Student, telling us what really matters to kids and asking for greater support for STEM education. 
  • Senator Peter Courtney focusing us on the importance working across the aisle and replacing the I-5 bridge between Oregon and Washington. 
  • Dr. Rudy Crew outlining his vision for improving public education in Oregon.
  • The Governor outlining his 2013-2015 budget and its investments in education and economic development.
  • An animated video from Epipheo describing the connection between a strong economy and stong schools. 

Policy Initiatives

In addition to PERS, Education and the Bridge, learn about ways to make industrial land available for manufacturing, restore the health of our federal forests while creating thousands of jobs, make Oregon one of the most innovative states in the nation, and more! 

Industry Clusters

Oregon's economy is driven by companies that ring up sales outside of Oregon, bringing in fresh dollars that support Oregonians and their families, local businesses, and public services like great schools.  These industries tend to cluster because they draw competitive advantage from proximity to a skilled workforce, to specialized suppliers, and to a shared base of sophisticated knowledge about their industry.  Summt participants learned about Oregon's key industry clusters over the lunch hour.  At the Oregon Business Plan website, we have detailed information on each industry cluster and what it will take to help them grow more high paying jobs here in Oregon. 

Interactive Tool

How many teachers could Oregon hire if we met the Oregon Business Plan goal of creating 25, 000 jobs this year?  What if we brought Oregon's average income to the national average?   This tool was created by Epipheo, a growing creative company in Portland that also brought us this great video on the connection between jobs and schools.  

OREGON CLUSTER NETWORK

The Oregon Cluster Network is hosted by the Oregon Business Plan to support Oregon's mature, growing and emerging industry clusters and to assist cluster participants as they work to accelerate innovation and the competitiveness of their industries.  By connecting industry leaders with university researchers, schools, media, venture capital, economic development practitioners, and other resources, the Cluster Network generates new prospects for business recruitment, develops relevant economic and industry data, guides public policy, and helps cluster facilitators across the state share best practices to develop a regional advantage.  Learn more at www.oregonclusters.com. 

E3: EMPLOYERS FOR EDUCATION EXCELLENCE

Oregon's National Career Readiness Certificate:  With the passage of HB 2398, signed into law on July 28, 2009, Oregon joined a growing list of states to offer the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC).  The NCRC is a nationally recognized certificate that documents foundational workplace skills in three core areas - Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information and Locating Information - that are critical to the success of majority of jobs in the workplace.  The NCRC is a portable certificate utilized by thousands of employers and job applicants in over 30 states.

From the standpoint of hiring managers, the NCRC helps identify qualified applicants. For job applicants, the NCRC helps prove and strengthen workplace skills.  Statewide implementation is led by the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development, in collaboration with E3. René Léger, former E3 Executive Director, serves as the executive on loan to provide dedicated leadership and focus, working closely with staff and key partners.

E3 is a statewide non-profit organization, founded by the Oregon Business Council, to bring together employers and schools to improve student achievement.  We promote high academic standards and encourage employers to work directly with students to help prepare them for post-secondary education and the workforce.  Read more at the http://www.e3oregon.org.

 

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Since 1985,  the Oregon Business Council (OBC) has played a central role in addressing public issues that are important to Oregonians. Through research and analysis, internal discussions, and collaboration with other organizations and public officials, OBC is an advocate for policies that improve Oregon's quality of life and economy.

Welcome to our web site. It describes who we are, how we work, and our major policy concerns. It also contains many of the studies and reports we've commissioned or supported in recent years.