Washington Workforce Development News
Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board
May 1, 2023
WORKFORCE BOARD HOLDS RETREAT MAY 4-5
The Workforce Board is holding its annual retreat this Thursday and Friday at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma. The two primary goals for the retreat are to identify the strategic priorities for the state’s 2024-2028 strategic workforce plan “Talent and Prosperity for All,” and to begin to develop the Board’s 2024 legislative agenda. The Board, along with agency staff, will be traveling across the state in the coming months to talk with a wide range of communities and stakeholders. This ground-level feedback will be incorporated into the guiding plan, before it is submitted to the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education in the spring of 2024. More details: https://bit.ly/3KlJqqp
NEW WORKFORCE SYSTEM POSTER AVAILABLE NOW
The Workforce Board’s popular workforce system poster is freshly updated and ready for 2023. Make sure to order copies of this handy overview of Washington’s largest, publicly funded workforce development programs, including participant employment rates and earnings, federal and state funding totals, and a list of administering agencies and providers. The poster, printed this year in cheery yellow, is also known as “America’s favorite matrix,” at least among staff. The poster is free and perfect for cubicle and office walls. Email us at workforce@wtb.wa.gov to request your own copies. View the poster, including a digital PDF, at: https://wtb.wa.gov/planning-programs/washington-workforce-system/
WORKFORCE BOARD SEEKS OPINIONS ON LONG-TERM CARE INDUSTRY
The Workforce Board has issued a short survey on Washington’s long-term care industry in an attempt to identify challenges and create a new vision for the industry. Your response will help guide policy development recommendations for this issue. In 2022, the Legislature tasked the Workforce Board with addressing staffing concerns of long-term care employers, including the development of an apprenticeship program that helps move front-line Home Care Aides and Nursing Assistant-Certified staff along a pathway to becoming a licensed practical nurse. Read more about this project: https://wtb.wa.gov/long-term-care/. Take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6MYFFCB.
ANEW HOSTS DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION SUMMIT MAY 11
ANEW, dedicated to the advancement of women and people of color in career pathways such as manufacturing and construction, is holding a summit May 11 at the DoubleTree hotel near SeaTac. This is ANEW’s seventh annual summit focused on diversity and inclusion. The summit will look at targeted recruitment and retaining of workers through mentorship programs, along with worker psychological safety, with a focus on gender-based violence. Register and get more details at: https://conta.cc/428yeFD
REGISTRATION OPEN FOR WA-ACTE SUMMER CONFERENCE
Register now for the annual Washington Association for Career and Technical Education conference in Spokane, slated for Aug. 6-9. The Workforce Board is among the sponsors of this multi-day conference aimed at CTE teachers and administrators from around the state. Got a presentation you’re interested in delivering? Be sure to submit your presentation proposal by May 19. More details: https://www.wa-acte.org/summer