Washington state wins federal Good Jobs Challenge grant to support career connected training for thousands of students

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration today announced that Washington has won a $23.5 million Good Jobs Challenge grant to support Washington’s robust career connected training system serving thousands of students across the state. These apprenticeship and technical training programs are a significant part of the state’s efforts to connect students to work-based learning programs that lead to paid work experience and good-paying jobs.  

The state’s Washington Student Achievement Council, in collaboration with Career Connect Washington, was among 32 grant recipients selected from a pool of more than 500 applications. The Good Jobs Challenge grant will help CCW and its partners immediately serve 5,000 workers whose jobs were impacted by COVID-19 and fill a minimum of 3,000 jobs.

Their proposed Washington Jobs Initiative builds upon CCW’s efforts in six high-demand sectors:

-Advanced manufacturing and aerospace

-Construction

-Energy and clean technology

-Financial services

-Healthcare

-Information technology and cybersecurity

Several of the sectors include training for union membership jobs. Examples of jobs in the program include software developer, machinist, energy engineer, nursing assistant and construction manager.

The Washington Jobs Initiative also includes a detailed focus on equity and diversity. Through targeted outreach in partnership with 200 community based organizations, the Washington Jobs Initiative hopes to achieve more equitable outcomes for workers of color, Indigenous workers, low-income workers, rural workers, workers experiencing homelessness, English language learners, and workers with disabilities. Their goal is for participation rates to match or exceed each group’s representation in the state’s population.

State leaders estimate more than 70 percent of jobs created in Washington state require some kind of post-secondary credential, but only about 40 percent of young people have one. Inslee launched CCW in 2017 to help more students pursue good-paying jobs after high school by enrolling in registered apprenticeship and technical training programs. Since its launch, CCW has created more than 100 registered apprenticeship and Career Launch programs for more than 21,000 students in every region of the state. CCW anticipates expanding its program to serve an anticipated 60,000 students each year. The program is supported through state and federal funding, philanthropy and employer investments.

Students or employers who are interested in the Career Launch program can visit careerconnectwa.org for information.