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Apprenticeship Resource Directory

ODOT Workforce Development Services and Support 

 

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) -- in partnership with BOLI -- contracts with Akana's Build Your Future; Build Oregon Program to offer specialized guidance to qualified applicants and financial support for registered apprentices in highway-related trades. The Program makes a particular effort to reach and serve women, people of color, and pre-apprentice graduates with these services.  

 

These resources aim to help candidates access and succeed in apprenticeships across seven targeted trades: carpenter (and related trades associated with the carpenters’ union), cement mason, inside electrician, ironworker, laborer, operating engineer, and painter.  

 

If you are in one of the targeted trades, you will qualify for some services and support regardless of income and type of job to which you are currently assigned, though higher levels of some types of support may depend on household income and whether you are working on an ODOT job. 

 

Available Services: 

  • Apprenticeship Guidance and Orientation: Includes screening, orientation, and assistance with applications to specific highway trades.  
  • Career Counseling and Case Management: After submitting an Intake and Minimum Qualifications Application, applicants will receive ongoing support from an Akana Case Manager, who helps identify career goals and offers mentorship through each stage of apprenticeship preparation.  
  • Job Readiness Assistance: Connection to gateway jobs to strengthen apprenticeship readiness, guidance on interviews, and paperwork support for career transitions or layoffs.  
  • Essential Trade Checklists and Resources: Includes recommendations for tools, clothing, and safety gear to ensure readiness for trade-specific demands.  

 

Available Financial Support: 

  • Job Readiness Supplies: Includes basic work tools and personal protective equipment (PPE), such as rain gear, to get started in your highway construction apprenticeship. One-time assistance up to $125 without regard to household income or job assignment. Additional assistance depends on household income and whether you are working on an ODOT job. 
  • Transportation over 60 miles for Work or Class: Includes fuel cards, lodging (paid to a provider), and per diem for meals. One time assistance up to $1,000 for a two-week period of out-of-town work or class without regard to household income or job assignment. Additional assistance depends on household income and whether you are working on an ODOT job.  
  • Personal Hardship Assistance: Up to $4,000 (of which $2,000 can be accessed during the first half of the apprenticeship program) to be paid to directly to a housing provider (landlord or mortgage holder) or auto repair shop to assist apprentices to overcome a destabilizing personal event, such as fire (that is not related to community events for which a State of Emergency has been declared in Oregon pursuant to ORS 401.165), theft (accompanied by police report), acute medical illness, divorce, domestic violence, death of a spouse, child, or parent, or the breakdown of a primary vehicle used to get to work.  
  • State Emergency Hardship Assistance: A pool of funds is available to assist apprentices who have experienced financial hardships caused by community events for which a State of Emergency has been declared in Oregon pursuant to ORS 401.165. Recent State of Emergency declarations have been made for the COVID pandemic, for wildfires, and for homelessness. 
  • Apprenticeship Related Child Care (ARCC): Subsidies are paid directly to child care providers approved by the Department of Early Learning and Care (including options for an unlicensed provider such as a non-parent family member, friend, or neighbor, as allowed by the Employment Related Day Care program; see https://www.oregon.gov/delc/programs/pages/erdc.aspx for more information) to keep your child care costs at or below 7% of household income while you are a registered apprentice. The Program calculates the apprentice’s fair share of costs based on a percentage of her or his household income; the remainder of the child care costs are eligible to be subsidized. 

 

 

How to Access Hardship Assistance:  

To inquire about the Hardship Assistance, first contact representatives of your labor union or Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) and ask them to contact Penny Painter at Akana (see below for contact information).  

 

How to Access Other Services and Support:  

To inquire about the ODOT Workforce Development Program administered by BOLI through Akana, or to apply for services and support, eligible applicants and apprentices should contact Penny Painter at Akana: 

 


Pre-Apprenticeship Services and Support 

 

If you graduated from a pre-apprenticeship program, you should contact the specific program to determine whether there are specific services and support that they offer to their graduates. Many offer peer support and career coaching, and some may also have access to emergency funds to help you continue in your apprenticeship. 

 


Additional Resources 

 

For apprentices needing extra support, these resources address health, safety, mental well-being, and access to essential services. Community organizations and workforce agencies offer guidance on benefits, safety training, and crisis support, helping apprentices navigate both personal and professional challenges.