Washington’s Strategy:
Aligning Economic and Workforce Development
to Meet Industry Need for Middle-Skill Workers
Daniel Malarkey, Deputy Director
Washington Department of Commerce
Eleni Papadakis, Executive Director
Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board
Marléna Sessions, CEO
Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County
October 24, 2012
Washington State’s Economy
• Population – 6,830,038 • Unemployment Rate – 8.6%
• Gross State Product
$351 billion (2010)
• Employment Statistics (8/2012)
• Non Farm - 2,871,400
• Manufacturing – 288,100
• Key Industry Sectors:
• Aerospace
• Information Technology
• Agriculture
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Washington State’s Economic Strategy
Key metrics:
1. Overall job growth and for high, medium and low wage jobs;
2. Income per job, hourly; 3. Growth in income per job; all vs. other states
Global Priorities
Competitiveness
Education/
Workforce
Training
Efficient &
Effective
Regulation
Infrastructure
Investment
Sector Focus
Small
Business
Specific Priorities
Community
Capacity
Rural Focus
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Industry Clusters in Puget Sound
High, Medium, and Low Wage Jobs
Three-month moving average, through August 2012
(2010 wages used)
Data source: Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD)
State Workforce Development Strategy
Tight on “what” (state), loose on “how” (local)
 Goal: meet needs of both employers and job-seekers
 Single plan & performance accountability for
– 16 federal & state funding streams
–
–
7 state operating agencies
Secondary and post-secondary education
 State and local stakeholders work together to develop plan
 Joint planning with Higher Ed, K-12, and Econ Dev, seats
on Economic Development Commissions
 Coordinate new policies, RFPs for discretionary funds,
evaluations where possible
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Skills Gap Analysis Informs Policy
Planning
• 6 year projections, both labor market need and
production of newly skilled workers
• Identify High Employer Demand Occupations
• Identify strategic industry clusters in 12 regions
• Aggregate Demand for higher education
degrees and certificates
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Middle Skills Jobs:
Fill more of them, more quickly
• All secondary and post-secondary CTE require
Industry Advisory Committees to endorse curriculum
• Career Clusters & Programs of Study
• Shorten time to industry-valued credentials:
– Credit for prior learning
– On the job training, “Direct Connect” training
– Dual or Cross-crediting: ICP, I-BEST
• Stackable credentials, Earn & Learn
• Centers of Excellence, Industry Panels
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Seattle and King County
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2,134 square miles
1.9 million+ residents
39 cities
19 school districts
11 community/tech
colleges
Washington: Aligning Economic and
Workforce Development
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About the WDC
Our dual mission: A strong
economy and a path to selfsufficiency for everyone.
• Impact: 90,000 jobseekers served each year
• Nationally recognized for innovation and effectiveness-one of top 4 workforce boards
• Work closely with local employers, governments,
colleges, K-12 systems, economic development, labor
groups and community-based orgs
• Federally funded both directly and through state; follow
broader strategy goals set by Workforce Board
Washington: Aligning Economic and
Workforce Development
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Focus Area: Sectors
Convening employers
and partners to respond
to industry needs in:
• Aerospace
• Health Care
• Maritime
• Interactive Media
• Green Building
• Other industries
Washington: Aligning Economic and
Workforce Development
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Aerospace: A Critical Industry
WDC partnerships:
• Member of King County
Aerospace Alliance
• Investing in job training for hundreds of workers
– Purchased training cohorts from local community/tech
colleges in machining, composites, assembly—200 workers
– Added 40 individual training vouchers for aerospace
– Funding aerospace navigators at WorkSource centers
• Partnering with all 19 local school districts to connect
students to STEM and aerospace careers
Washington: Aligning Economic and
Workforce Development
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Enhancing State-Local Relations
• Strategic coordination is key—best
when state sets goals and locals
develop strategy, rather than topdown strategy
• Use existing partnerships and
systems
• Invest to scale up successful pilots
instead of starting new ones
Washington: Aligning Economic and
Workforce Development
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