Washington Workforce Development News
Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board
July 18, 2024
PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON ADDING DEMOGRAPHIC INFO TO HEALTH WORKFORCE DATA
In 2023 the Legislature passed HB 1503, based on a recommendation of the Health Workforce Council (staffed by the Workforce Board), to collect healthcare professionals’ demographic information at the time they apply for or renew their licenses. This new demographic requirement goes into effect January 1, 2025. The Department of Health has shared out proposed questions and responses and is holding two listening sessions this summer to gather feedback, including one slated for July 25. More: https://tinyurl.com/mrssad64
NOMINATE EMPLOYERS WHO RECRUIT, HIRE WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES
To spotlight the important role disability plays in workforce diversity, the Washington State Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues & Employment has opened nominations for the 32nd Annual Governor’s Employer Awards. Nominations are open through July 31. The Governor’s Employer Awards program honors and celebrates the many and varied contributions Washington employers make to recruit, hire and advance workers with disabilities. The awards program honors employers of all sizes in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. It also honors one employer who supports youths with disabilities through employment preparation and job skills training. More: https://tinyurl.com/wv9s4d6f
WA COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM WINS FEDERAL CLIMATE CHANGE GRANT
The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) will receive a $9.3 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop a climate-ready workforce. The NOAA grants aim to help Americans secure well-paying jobs to advance climate resilience in local communities, focusing on economically disadvantaged communities, people of color, and Indigenous people. Over the next four years, SBCTC will use the funds to support the “Tribal Stewards Program,” an initiative to cultivate a new generation of tribal leaders and non-tribal environmental co-stewards skilled in natural resources management. More: https://www.sbctc.edu/blogs/news-releases/2024/noaa-tribal-stewards.
ERDC ISSUES DUAL CREDIT AND CREDENTIAL ATTAINMENT RESEARCH BRIEF
A new research brief as part of the state’s Education Research and Data Center (ERDC) Dual Credit Portfolio provides a look at attainment of postsecondary credentials by different types of dual credit participation. It also considers the various pathways students take. Some of the key findings include an increase in associate degree attainment within three years of high school graduation, driven partially by those awarded during high school through Running Start. More: https://erdc.wa.gov/node/932?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
SEE YOU AT WA-ACTE SUMMER CONFERENCE IN SPOKANE
The Washington Association for Career and Technical Education (WA-ACTE) is holding its summer conference Aug. 4-7 in Spokane. Workforce Board staffers will be there, running a booth, engaging with CTE teachers and administrators, and providing several presentations. A presentation on the Washington Award for Vocational Excellence (WAVE) scholarship will announce the new scholarship management portal we’re launching later this year to make applying easier for students across the state. The Workforce Board is also a conference sponsor. More: https://www.wa-acte.org/summer
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