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

2 Washington State’s Economy Population – 6,830,038 Gross State Product $351 billion (2010) Unemployment Rate – 8.6% Employment Statistics (8/2012) Non Farm - 2,871,400 Manufacturing – 288,100 Key Industry Sectors: Aerospace Information Technology Agriculture

3 Washington State’s Economic Strategy Competitive- ness Education/ Workforce Training Efficient & Effective Regulation Infrastructure Investment Community Capacity Rural FocusSector Focus Small Business Global Priorities Specific Priorities 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

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)

6 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

7 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

8 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

Washington: Aligning Economic and Workforce Development 9 2,134 square miles 1.9 million+ residents 39 cities 19 school districts 11 community/tech colleges Seattle and King County

Washington: Aligning Economic and Workforce Development 10 Our dual mission: A strong economy and a path to self- sufficiency 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 About the WDC

Washington: Aligning Economic and Workforce Development 11 Convening employers and partners to respond to industry needs in: Aerospace Health Care Maritime Interactive Media Green Building Other industries Focus Area: Sectors

Washington: Aligning Economic and Workforce Development 12 Aerospace: A Critical Industry 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 WDC partnerships: Member of King County Aerospace Alliance

Washington: Aligning Economic and Workforce Development 13 Enhancing State-Local Relations Strategic coordination is key—best when state sets goals and locals develop strategy, rather than top- down strategy Use existing partnerships and systems Invest to scale up successful pilots instead of starting new ones