Video: WDC joins Senators Cantwell and Inouye to hear challenges and solutions for veterans seeking work after service

The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County continues to make veteran re-employment a top priority. On April 1, WDC Chief Executive Officer Marléna Sessions joined Washington Senator Maria Cantwell and Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii to discuss with reporters new job-training programs for returning veterans. Watch the video below! “The WDC and our one-stop employment system...

Aerospace efforts applauded by King County Council committee

King County Council members are praising the WDC and other leaders of the county’s Aerospace Alliance for working to keep the growing industry a central part of the county’s economic engine. The kudos came as Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County CEO Marléna Sessions and other key partners in the Alliance updated the council’s Committee of the Whole March 5, 2012. Marléna...

WDC health-care sector work highlighted in national GAO report

The WDC’s health-care efforts were included in a Government Accountability Office study of 14 effective collaborations between workforce boards and employers, released in February 2012. Read the report Innovative Collaborations between Workforce Boards and Employers Helped Meet Local Needs: Read the whole report (Seattle section begins on page 66) or see the one-page summary. The GAO...

CEO testifies before Senate on WDC’s health-care partnerships

Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County CEO Marléna Sessions testified before a a Senate labor subcommittee in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 16 to share the impact of the WDC’s partnerships in the health-care industry to give needed skills to thousands of local workers in high demand, high wage healthcare jobs. “Our experience proves that when employers are engaged with...

WDC CEO joins King County Exec to announce aerospace actions

Marlena Sessions, Chief Executive Officer of the WDC, joined King County Executive Dow Constantine and fellow members of the King County Aerospace Alliance at Boeing Field on Feb. 14 to announce six action areas for the alliance. One of the key actions is to develop a pipeline of trained aerospace students into the workforce. While the average age of workers at Boeing is close to 50, local...

WDC CEO receives national award at U.S. Conference of Mayors

Citing her tireless efforts to put people back to work, the U.S. Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council has honored Marléna Sessions, CEO of the WDC of Seattle-King County, with its first-ever Distinguished Service Award. Read the press release… "Marlena is our first recipient and very deserving of this special recognition,” said outgoing council president Tom Phillips. He...