Media Advisory: PCC's Maritime Welding Completion Ceremony Set For March 21 -03/18/24

NORTH PORTLAND, Ore. – Media are invited to Portland Community College’s Maritime Welding Class of 2024 Completion Ceremony. The students will receive certificates for their completion to celebrate with their families and friends. The ceremony is much more than honoring the end of their training, as it is the beginning of their careers and entering a manufacturing industry in dire need of fresh workers.

Event Details:

Date – Thursday, March 21

Time – 10-11:30 a.m.

Location – Room 136, Swan Island Trades Center, (6400 N. Cutter Circle, Portland, OR 97217)

Event Highlights:

• 10 a.m. Opening Ceremony:  PCC’s Assistant Associate Vice President of Academic and Career Pathways Karen Sanders and Interim Program Dean Patty Hawkins speak to mark the occasion. Remarks from the following industry partners: Ken Madden, Madden Industrial Craftsmen CEO; Walter Stokman,Vigor Director of Production and Ship Repair; Christopher Pike, Vigor Marine Director of Operations; and Frank Manning, Diversified Marine President and COO.
• Testimonial:  PCC Maritime Welding Program alum Carl Suby.
• Recognition: Outstanding performers Walker Davis, Brian Higginbotham and Rebecca White.
• Student Interviews: Kia Blanchard, Walker Davis, Ashley Pfeifer and David Vargus.

About PCC’s Maritime Center of Excellence: The U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) recently announced the designation of 32 Centers of Excellence (CoE) for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education with PCC designated as demonstrably successful in maritime workforce training and education and thereby, a COE, one of 50 maritime training locations across 17 states and Guam. The designation recognizes and promotes support to post-secondary maritime training programs that prepare students for careers in the maritime industry.

About Portland Community College: Founded in 1961, Portland Community College is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon and provides training, degree and certificate completion, and lifelong learning to more than 50,000 full- and part-time students in Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Columbia counties. PCC has four comprehensive campuses, 10 education centers or areas served, and approximately 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area. The PCC district encompasses a 1,500-square-mile area in northwest Oregon and offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning.

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