For young Washingtonians, finding a sustainable career can be challenging without a postsecondary credential. On the flip side, many major industry sectors are struggling to fill critical jobs. But, thanks to the Washington Jobs Initiative, both young people and employers are well-positioned to have their needs met. Read more to learn about the innovative steps Washington is taking to make the economy work for everyone.

Washington State Prepares to Sprint

On August 3, 2022, the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC, the state’s higher education agency) was one of 32 industry-led workforce training partnerships across the United States to be awarded a grant through the national Good Jobs Challenge. The Good Jobs Challenge is part of a suite of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan programs developed by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.

Supported by the $23.5 million awarded grant, the Washington Jobs Initiative (WJI) will help Washington residents access industry-driven training to secure a living wage career. Because of the already-established and successful Career Connect Washington (CCW) system, WJI is well-positioned to educate and train at least 5,000 Washingtonians and ensure that at least 3,150 are placed in good jobs by 2025.

CCW’s Foundational Work

CCW’s established presence and proven success made it a natural fit for a framework for the Good Jobs Challenge grant award. After a task force spent years discussing, visioning, and researching what a career connected learning system in Washington could look like, the state legislature passed HB 2158 in May 2019, establishing the Workplace Education Investment Act. In addition to guaranteeing financial aid for more than 110,000 qualified students in Washington to attend college for free or at a discounted rate, the act established and funded the CCW system. Since then, the CCW network has provided hundreds of career connected learning programs, enrolling 16,000 young people last year and continuing to expand its reach.

CCW engages students from a young age with its three-tiered system: Career Explore, Career Prep, and Career Launch. In Career Explore, younger students are introduced to different jobs in different fields, usually through one-day events. Career Prep programs provide a more hands-on experience, such as a pre-apprenticeship or internship, getting students professional experience, and helping them make decisions about the next steps in their education or training. Career Launch programs combine meaningful, high-quality, on-the-job experience with classroom learning, including registered apprenticeships.

CCW’s statewide network of partners laid the foundation of the state’s career connected learning system, and the Washington Jobs Initiative will build the system even further to provide more opportunities for more Washingtonians. Regional networks, career connected learning coordinators, and sector leaders guide sector specific strategies by identifying goals, challenges, and opportunities and developing tailored strategies to address them. Program builders have developed proven career connected learning programs that can be adapted and scaled.

A Focus on Equity

Central to WJI is its work around equity. Priority and focus are given to individuals and communities kept furthest from opportunity, including but not limited to: women, black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC); LGBTQIA2S+ individuals; individuals with disabilities; low-income individuals; and other Washingtonians disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

WJI builds off the Career Connected Learning Continuum, taking it one step further by providing job placement and wraparound support. Adding these extra steps helps remove barriers to entry into the workforce. Wraparound services include transportation, childcare, and resources to support day-to-day expenses.

The Benefit of Sectoral Partnerships

One of the key components of WJI is sectoral partnerships, which develop workforce solutions for a particular industry within a regional labor market. Each of these sectoral partnerships consist of a unique make up of partners, but many consist of a variety of industry partners, community-based organizations, training providers, community and technical colleges, and CCW regional partners. Partnerships can take many geographic shapes, from regional to statewide, and more. These partnerships are built to include all the necessary partners before workforce training solutions are designed. Sectoral partnerships break down silos in information sharing and target in-demand sectors with high-quality jobs all while considering the economic realities of a regional industry. These new sectoral partnerships have expanded employer engagement while enabling the use of wraparound supports.

The 8 recently-awarded sectoral partnerships are:

  • Aerospace and Manufacturing Sector Partnership (advanced manufacturing & aerospace sector) — a partnership led by Machinists Institute with ANEW as a training provider with a goal of 275 job placements in industries like manufacturing and maritime.
  • Construct A Career (construction sector) — a partnership with Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council with a goal of 515 job placements/trainings through apprenticeships in the building and construction trades.
  • Healthcare Talent Pipeline (healthcare sector) — a bi-regional partnership between the Spokane Workforce Council and Workforce Southwest Washington for 350 job placements in targeted healthcare occupations.
  • JumpStart (clean technology & energy sector) — an innovative clean energy workforce partnership, led by King County to provide training and paid work-based learning in a cohort-style approach for clean energy deployment careers for youth 18-24 with a goal of 80 job placements in 2024-2025.
  • Manufacturing WORKS (advanced manufacturing & aerospace sector) — a partnership with WorkForce Central, AJAC, and regional community colleges with a goal of 380 placements in manufacturing occupations such as machinists and welders.
  • Pierce Spokane Construction WORKS (construction sector) — a partnership with WorkForce Central and Spokane Workforce Council for 220 job placements in construction trades, partnering with programs like Palmer Scholars, a long-time CCW partner, with a long track record of serving young adults between 18 and 26, who are neither enrolled in a postsecondary program nor gainfully employed and have an interest in pursuing a career in the trades.
  • TRIAGE (healthcare sector) — led by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, with a goal to place 400 individuals furthest from opportunity into career paths in good, unionized healthcare occupations via work-based learning, expanded navigation, and enhanced support services.
  • Washington Technology Workforce Coalition (information technology & cybersecurity sector) — coalition formed by Washington Tech Workforce Coalition and led by Computing for All with a goal of 1,000 job placements in tech in 2 years.

Washington Jobs Initiative & the Future of Washington’s Workforce

Research from the Partnership for Learning shows that more than 70 percent of jobs in Washington will require a credential beyond a high school diploma, but only about 40 percent of young people today go on to earn a credential after high school. The grant awarded through the Good Jobs Challenge serves as the influx of funding needed to enhance the goals and outcomes of CCW to place at least 3,150 Washingtonians in living-wage jobs by 2025, while also helping to fill critical roles for employers.

The coming years will be pivotal for Washington’s workforce. The last several years of work and development have built a strong foundation for the groundbreaking efforts of programs like the Washington Jobs Initiative. These programs will allow thousands of young Washingtonians to enter the workforce into living-wage careers while also filling the needs of diverse employers from around the state. Supported by the strength of the Career Connect Washington system, the Washington Jobs Initiative is set up for major success in our state. Learn more about the Washington Jobs Initiative here.