Gov. Kate Brown shared the stage with others as they celebrated the plan she hopes will transform Oregon’s future economy and workforce.

A ceremonial signing of Senate Bill 1545, which enacts the $200 million plan known as Future Ready Oregon, took place Tuesday on Intel’s Ronler Acres campus in Hillsboro. Brown signed the actual legislation on March 17.

Brown spoke for only a few minutes. She described the plan as “a game-changing investment for working Oregonians,” but left it to others to talk about its creation and execution.

The plan blends $123 million in federal funds, mostly from President Joe Biden’s pandemic recovery legislation, with $76 million from the state budget. Some money will go to the existing network of regional workforce development boards, and some money will go to competitive grants to organizations for innovative ways to reach, train and support would-be workers left behind in previous economic recoveries.

“It will give Oregonians the education, the training and the resources they need to get into good-paying careers at places like — let me think — Intel and other key industries across the state,” said Pia Wilson-Body, president of the Intel Foundation.

“I would be remiss if I did not point out that these investments prioritize our underserved communities … to ensure a diverse, skilled and equitable workforce.”

Among the groups are women, people of color, veterans, low-income and rural residents.

Oregon has regained 82% of the jobs lost two years ago, when the onset of the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a record one-month jump in the statewide unemployment rate from 3.5% to 13.3%. The rate in February, the most recent available, was 4%. State economists say Oregon is on track to a full recovery later this year.

“But I know that the cost of living is on the rise, and we need to do the work so that every Oregonian benefits from it,” Brown said. “I know Future Ready Oregon will do just that.”

Brown created the Racial Justice Council in 2020 after the racial justice protests stemming from the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. The two leaders of a council work group, both involved in workforce development efforts for many years, said it was time for a new effort that would result in something different.

”COVID-19 did not create these barriers. COVID-19 exposed them,” said Patsy Richards, director of LongTerm Care Works for the RISE Partnership in Portland.

”We wanted to send a clear message: There are no invisible people in Oregon. Equitable access through career pathways to sustained wages is the overarching goal of Future Ready Oregon. Senate Bill 1545 shines a needed light on our workforce.”

Marin Areolla III came from Silicon Valley years ago and is president of Advanced Economic Solutions in Salem.

”I feel on this one, my time has been well invested,” he said. “They have been disengaged from our workforce system. The time is now.”

The plan also won key support from the Oregon Business Council, among the sponsors of the Dec. 6 conference during which Brown unveiled the plan’s outlines. Legislative committees heard more details just before the 2022 session got underway on Feb. 1.

Executives from two of Oregon’s largest employers also praised the plan.

Anne Mersereau is a vice president at Portland General Electric and chair of the Oregon Workforce Talent Development Board. Portland General Electric and Pacific Power, the two largest private utilities that supply power to about 70% of Oregon’s customers, also supported 2021 legislation that sets a goal of carbon-free power by 2040.

”New developments and technological advances mean there are new careers and necessary skill sets that we never even imagined. Many of these jobs will take years to fully realize, given the training involved,” Mersereau said.

”We believe the transition to a clean energy future must be equitable and inclusive. We want our workforce to represent the diverse makeup of our customers. This bill will help remove barriers for underrepresented communities looking to enter the workforce and create more access and equitable opportunities for so many.”

Jeff Birdsall, is an Intel vice president at the Ronler Acres campus, one of four in Hillsboro and Aloha that employ a total of more than 20,000 people — making Intel Oregon’s largest private employer.

”In alignment with Intel’s RISE 2030 goals, workforce investments help individuals get a foothold in the labor market, increase economic mobility, and build strong communities,” he said. “Future Ready Oregon will extend our partnerships and help create the workforce Oregon needs for sustainable growth of its technology and manufacturing sectors.”

The plan includes $1.5 million for the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to measure the plan’s progress, plus money to coordinate efforts on the three economic sectors that figure prominently in the plan — health care, construction and manufacturing. Technology figures into all of them.

The plan passed 23-3 in the Senate and 48-10 in the House.

Mark Mitsui is the retiring president of Portland Community College, Oregon’s largest institution of higher education by student enrollment.

”The Legislature’s support for and approval of Future Ready Oregon is another example of Oregon’s collective commitment to creating an equal system of opportunity for all Oregonians,” he said.