CONTACT: Jerrohn Jordan, EMAIL
Community Opportunities and Enhancements Program
The Community Opportunities and Enhancements Program (COEP) is a City of Portland strategy to increase diversity and equity in construction contracting. The goals of the COEP are to increase the number of people of color and women in the trades and to remove barriers for construction firms owned by people of color and women so that they can successfully participate in public contracting. The program is funded by a 1% set-aside of eligible costs on all City-owned public improvement contracts. Through a series of grants, the COEP will provide workforce development and business technical assistance to accomplish its goals. To stay up to date, sign up for email updates.
Resources for job seekers and business owners are now available through the following service providers:
Based on the next five years of planned public projects over $15 million, the current workforce provides only:
This shows a critical need to train more women and people of color if we are to achieve the stated workforce diversity goals in the region.
Source: Portland Metro Region Construction Workforce Market Study
Service Providers
Please contact coep@prosperportland.us for a referral to one of our service providers.
Business Technical Assistance Partners (For Businesses)
Workforce Development Partners (For Job Seekers)
Program Design
Over the past few years, there has been substantial stakeholder outreach, focus groups and reporting related to construction workforce and business support. We’ll continue to rely on the expertise of community and construction stakeholders and solicit ongoing feedback for improvement as we act on what we’ve learned and deploy resources through the COEP. The reports used in COEP grant program design identified these concepts:
- Transparent and consistent long-term investment across regional projects will help workers and businesses remain engaged and expand their capacity to participate on future projects
- Technical assistance would help M/W/DBE subcontractors to be more successful
- Investments are needed to retain people of color and women in the trades
- Additional pre-apprenticeship training program capacity is needed to meet the 5-year demand
The COEP program design includes four focus areas that align with recommendations identified in the reports (see Reference, below):
- Minority Contractor Participation Equity Committee Report (12/18)
- C2P2 (Estolano LeSar Advisors, 2018)
- Portland Metro Region Construction Workforce Market Study (WSI, Metro, 7/18)
- Needs Assessment (Synergy Resources Group, 6/18)
- Inclusive Procurement And Contracting (Emerald Cities, Policy Link, 3/18)
- CBA Pilot Evaluation Report (Framework LLC, 5/16)
- Report on CBA Pilot Projects (CBA Labor Management Community Oversight Committee, 4/16)
Frequently Asked Questions
Workforce Development – Steps for Workers
- Contact the Program Manager to discuss your pre-apprenticeship needs and get connected to the appropriate service provider.
- Connect with a pre-apprenticeship partner to take the first steps toward your new career in the skilled trades.
- Be prepared to do the work necessary to complete your pre-apprenticeship.
- Enjoy the process and reap the rewards of your hard work as a skilled trades worker.
Business Technical Assistance – Steps for Business Owners
- Contact the Program Manager to discuss your needs and get connected to the appropriate service provider.
- Connect with your service provider and establish a work plan to prepare you for bidding and working on City of Portland capital improvement programs.
- Be prepared to complete the steps outlined in the work plan.
- Enjoy the process and expand your business capabilities.
You can reach out to the COEP program manager via email.
Please let us know if you are interested in pre-apprenticeship services or business technical assistance services. We will respond promptly.
Prosper Portland and WSI manage additional resources that will be leveraged with COEP, including business technical assistance thru community-based service providers, access to capital, training scholarships, on-the-job training, participant supports such as child care, transportation and jobsite readiness (tools, boots, etc), case management, and BOLI certified pre-apprenticeship training.
Prosper Portland will manage the day-to-day operations and implementation of the grant program. Prosper Portland will manage contracts with service providers, measure outcomes and support the community in accessing these services. Prosper Portland will subcontract with Worksystems, Inc (WSI) to manage the workforce development component of COEP.
