With Hope and Purpose: Our Workforce Journey Ahead
Throughout 2025, despite a landscape marked by uncertainty, we were able to achieve something very meaningful: hope.
Alongside our partners, we came together in King County for a shared purpose – creating opportunities for a more resilient workforce. We strengthened our workforce by expanding language access for immigrant and refugee communities, supporting small businesses through targeted investments, improving job quality in the hospitality sector, and building capacity among childcare providers and frontline workforce staff.
On top of this, WDC became proud recipients of the 2025 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Trailblazer Award by the National Association of Workforce Boards. The WDC was selected for its innovative, community-driven strategic planning work, including the expansion of partnerships with local community-based organizations providing digital access to support workforce solutions for underserved populations. The award underscores the transformative power of investing in local workforce boards and the impact of the cross-sector partnerships that we are building.
The efforts of these collaborations not only helped more people connect to work, education, and financial stability, but also emphasizes how crucial advocacy is to protect these critical services and the collective work that makes them possible.
Our workforce ecosystem continues to push forward, guided by a mutual belief that every person deserves access to economic opportunity, stability, and mobility. In 2026, we are committing to deepening our role as a backbone organization — advancing regional initiatives like Economic Security for All, improving how people navigate services, and offering training and tools that help service providers meet the moment. These initiatives reflect the innovation, resilience, and determination we share with our partners.
The challenges ahead are real. Increasing uncertainty and division are contributing to growing destabilization and harm in our communities. But we know that when we work together with intentional, united purpose, we build bonds stronger than the chaos.
As we look ahead to the new year, we remain dedicated to building a more community-centered and coordinated workforce system rooted in inclusion, where all people across Puget Sound can share in its prosperity. We are excited to share with you new opportunities to stay informed and access local workforce insights, and more ways to connect with our growing workforce development network.
Thank you for everything you do to support King County workers, families, and communities. The work to improve the prosperity of this region continues. We look forward to connecting with you this year.
With hope and purpose,
Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County