Workforce and Education

Portland’s Workforce Advantage

More than 600 schools and 21 school districts serve the Portland metro area. Students in the region can attend schools for foreign language immersion, science, polytechnic and technology training, exposure to environmental studies and the arts. The region also offers a variety of choices by offering more than 100 secular and religious private primary, secondary and high schools in addition to the public schools. Speaking to the quality of education, Oregon students historically exceed national averages for math and verbal Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores.

The Portland region has more than 40 private and public universities and colleges that present a full spectrum of higher education opportunities. Charged specifically with workforce development, Portland’s community colleges offer area residents the opportunity to take weekend, evening and web-based courses to gain certificates in the trades in addition to regular academic studies. Portland Community College and its partners including Worksystems can create custom training for businesses needing to retrain incumbent workers or offer new training opportunities.