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The recently announced a new scholarship fund to provide training for registered disadvantaged/minority/women-owned and emerging small businesses and their employees in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

鈥淲e鈥檙e aware that minorities have challenges in competing in the construction world, and we鈥檙e also aware that a lot of those are simply through lack of knowledge,鈥� said NWCOC President Dan Graham. 鈥淭hat could easily be solved with a little bit of education.鈥�

Graham said that there has already been interest from DMWESB firms who want to use the scholarship program, and he鈥檚 hoping that contractors will step up as sponsors as well.

The school鈥檚 board approved the scholarship program last month. It will fund classes in crafts and trades, safety training, computer and technical construction, management and law. The program is co-sponsored by .

The scholarships will pay up to 50 percent of the cost of a program up to a limit of $2,500 per year for a firm.

This is the program鈥檚 first year, but the college would like to continue it in the future, Graham said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to build it and see if people come and use it and if the industry is able to continue to fund it,鈥� Graham said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to do a two-year pilot, see how it goes, and make a decision about whether it can become a permanent fixture.鈥�

More information is available at .