Senator GRASSLEY. Thank you. Mr. Conkling.

STATEMENT OF GARY CONKLING, MANAGER OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, TEKTRONIX, INC., BEAVERTON, OREG., ON BEHALF OF THE OREGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE ASSOCIATION

Mr. CONKLING. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Gary Conkling, and I am manager of government relations for Tektronix, Inc., in Oregon, and I am appearing here today on behalf of the Oregon Community College Association. I would ask your permission for my written statement to appear in its entirety in the record. It is the statement of the Oregon Community College Association. If I could be allowed, I would like to make a few oral remarks on behalf of my own company today.

Senator GRASSLEY. Yes. The statement will be included in the record as a matter of practice, but specifically for yours. And then would you proceed?

Mr. CONKLING. Yes. Thank you.

[The prepared statement of Gary Conkling follows:]

TESTIMONY

on

S.108

by

Gary Conkling

Manager of Governmental Relations

Tektronix

Beaverton, Oregon

on behalf
of the

Oregon Community College Association

Subcommittee on Taxation and Debt Management Senate Finance Committee

U.S. SENATE
August 1, 1983

Chairperson Packwood and members of the Subcommittee, my name is Gary Conkling, Manager of Governmental Relations with Tektronix, and I am here today on behalf of the Oregon Community College Association, located at 1201 Court St. NE, Salem, Oregon 97301.

I am here to speak in support of S.108. Passage of this legislation would help Oregon's community colleges and business and industry to respond to the job training and economic development needs of the state by:

· Extending to postsecondary occupational programs the same eligibility for equipment gifts from industry that the 1981 federal tax reforms allowed on equipment gifts to university research programs.

· Allowing companies that make their staff available to teach technical and Occupational courses, a $100 tax credit for each course a company professional teaches---limited to five courses per year per individual professional.

Providing a $100 tax credit for each off-term or part-time job that
companies provide for a faculty member from an occupational program.

Community college occupational training in Oregon is, and will continue to be, highly dependent upon cooperative endeavors with business and industry. This bill would seek to further cement the partnership between the education community and business and industry.

Costly acquisition and updating of equipment are necessary if business and industry are to receive employable individuals trained on "state of the art" equipment. A May, 1983 survey of Oregon community colleges by the Oregon Department of Education identified an estimated immediate equipment need of over $5 million just to maintain current occupational/ vocational programs at a minimum level and an additional estimated amount of $16 million to improve those programs to industry standard levels. Due to the tight budgetary picture Oregon is now facing, this need will continue to remain unmet...without the assistance of the private sector.

Oregon's community colleges have faced severe budget reductions during the last biennium and, at best, will hold the line on further reductions during the next biennium. Yet, the community colleges have attempted to assist in Oregon's economic recovery, to the extent possible, given budgetary realities. For example:

Many have directed efforts to assist the unemployed workers.
More that 5,000 unemployed workers have attended "Moving
Ahead" Workshops this year, designed to present options.
open to a person looking for work.

The colleges are working with their local Employment
Division personnel to provide training opportunities
for dislocated workers. Chemeketa Community College
of Salem, Oregon is one of five colleges in the country

1201 Court Street N.E.. Salem, Oregon 97301. (503) 399-9912

to receive a CETA demonstration project to train 82
dislocated workers.

Small business management programs available through most of the colleges
help individuals examine business opportunities, solve small business problems,
market a product and keep accurate business records.

Community colleges offer vocational education courses designed to train the
support technicians...the foundation for high-tech development in Oregon.
Programs have been established for:

This

Furthermore, Oregon's community colleges anticipate increased demands during the next biennium to expand their role in economic development and provide training and retraining opportunities for dislocated workers through the new Job Training Partnership Act. new program comes at a time when the colleges are projecting an enrollment increase of over 3,400 students in the next four years.

S. 108 will foster further the cooperative efforts outlined above and encourage the business community to become active partners with the community colleges in working toward the revitalization of Oregon's economy:

Tektronix has recognized that community colleges are providing the important
technical training that is critical to our industry. One of the principle
reasons Tektronix has for donating equipment to the community colleges is
to produce the high-skilled technicians that are necessary to keep Oregon
competitive...especially with the expansion of the Pacific Rim market.
Tektronix has endorsed the provisions of this legislation and urges its
passage.

According to Tom DePue, Personnel Manager with Siltec Corporation, located
in Salem, Oregon, "Siltec works very closely with Chemeketa Community College:
one of our employees is on loan to help with program instruction and we have
either loaned or donated over $1/2 million in new equipment. Our company
is relatively new and we anticipate a major growth in the next two years.
This legislation would help us to expand our relationship with the college
as we increase our productivity."

• Strong support also comes from Dr. Emil Sarpa, Corporate Manager for Academic
Relations, Intel, Santa Clara, California. "Intel recognizes Portland
Community College as the model for electronic training in Oregon because
of their quality faculty and the orientation of their program to train
workers to meet our needs. The tax incentives to business, provided in
this legislation, will help to further promote the partnership we have
established with Portland Community College and allow us to provide
similar assistance to other community colleges in Oregon, California,
Arizona and New Mexico."

S.108 will provide:

•

A major incentive through the tax credits to business and industry. · Assist community colleges in upgrading their equipment.

• Allow faculty to be kept current on state-of-art technologies in their field.

But, ultimately, the beneficiaries of this legislation would be the people: the newly dislocated worker, the disadvantaged unemployed, and workers who are in need of upgrading their skills to keep pace with new technological advances. I urge your support of this bill...it will help to further improve educational and training opportunities in Oregon.