Washington Workforce Development News
Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board
March 1, 2023
WAVE AWARD: HELP SPREAD THE WORD TO CTE STUDENTS!
The Washington Award for Vocational Excellence (WAVE) scholarship application is open for 2023—and the deadline to apply is just a few weeks away. The award recognizes high-performing career and technical education (CTE) students at both the high school and community-and-technical college level. The award covers up to two years of tuition, with the amount of the tuition based on the tuition charged by the institution students will be attending—with minimum awards set at $4,500 per year, and a maximum of up to $11,700 per year. WAVE is administered by the Workforce Board in collaboration with the Washington Student Achievement Council, which handles the disbursement of funds. The application deadline is March 17. See the Workforce Board’s WAVE page for details: https://wtb.wa.gov/wave/
STAY ON TOP OF WORKFORCE BILLS WITH LEGISLATIVE TRACKER
Workforce Board staff are still busy tracking workforce bills throughout the 2023 Legislative session. View these bills and materials at: https://wtb.wa.gov/about-us/workforce-board-legislative-tracker/
APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING CONNECTED WITH SAFER WORKPLACES
A first-of-its-kind study from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries concludes that apprenticeship program growth could reduce serious worker injuries and workers’ compensation claims. The results of the study come at a time of expansion for registered apprenticeship programs in Washington. There is record involvement, with 22,000 workers currently participating in apprenticeships across about 200 registered programs in the state. While construction trades such as carpenter, ironworker, and electrician have the most active participants, there are growing programs in the high-tech, aerospace, and medical assistant fields. More: https://bit.ly/3m9GF3c
ERDC PROVIDES HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE OUTCOMES DASHBOARD
The state’s Education Research and Data Center has published a High School Graduate Outcomes Dashboard that now includes data for the 2021 Washington public high school graduates and also includes 2021-2022 postsecondary enrollments. The dashboard was created to provide information about postsecondary education (enrollment, persistence, completion) and workforce metrics (hours worked, wages) of Washington’s public high school graduates. More info at: https://bit.ly/3Y3yYst.
BIAW GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS NOW OPEN
The Building Industry Association of Washington, representing roughly 8,000 members in the residential construction industry, provides scholarships to students who have demonstrated a passion and commitment to developing a career in the home building industry. They also offer grants to organizations with programs in construction-related fields of study, residential construction career training, continuing education, apprenticeship, and skills assessment services, and technical training programs educating tomorrow’s home builders. Applications must be submitted and/or postmarked by May 1. https://www.biaw.com/scholarships-and-grants/
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March comes in like a lion and we want to hear you roar! Then settle down and read the newsletter. Be sure to share it with a friend (or two)! To subscribe or unsubscribe (we'll miss you), email workforce@wtb.wa.gov.