Jiquanda Nelson & Justin Magouirk Crowe bring experience & community focus to WDC Board
The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC) is proud to announce the addition of two new members to the WDC Board: Justin Magouirk Crowe and Jiquanda Nelson. We are excited for Jiquanda and Justin to bring the full range of their extensive experience and community focus to the important work of the WDC Board and committees. Please join us in welcoming them.
2021 PNW Education & Workforce Summit + Virtual Job & Career Fair
On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce will hold their 2021 PNW Education & Workforce Summit and Virtual Job & Career Fair. The summit will act as a collective look into the status of the school-to-work pipeline in the Seattle Southside region while the job and career fair will be a focused effort to connect community members with employment opportunities and family-wage careers.
Five local organizations awarded federal funds to serve in-school & out-of-school youth
The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC) is awarding five organizations Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) grants to serve in-school and out-of-school youth with workforce services, including educational credential attainment, post-secondary placement, unsubsidized employment placements, training, and employment retention. The organizations were chosen for their proven experience serving youth, dedication and ability to prioritize racial equity, and capacity to implement high-quality services.
RFP 20-02 - Business Services: Announcement + Virtual Bidder's Conference
On March 15, 2021, the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC) released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the provision of business services within the WorkSource Seattle-King County system. Services will be funded in accordance with resources from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
Watch: Discussion of workforce racial disparities & building an equitable future
On February 18, the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County and National Fund for Workforce Solutions held a live discussion on new research detailing racial disparities in the Seattle-area workforce and how to build an equitable economic recovery. Panel featuring: Marie Kurose, CEO, Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County; Amanda Cage, President and CEO, National Fund for Workforce Solutions; Rich Stolz, Executive Director, OneAmerica; W. Tali Hairston, Equity Research Specialist, Root and Branch.
New research highlights racial disparities in the workforce in Seattle & makes actionable recommendations for equitable economic recovery
A new report shows that despite Seattle’s reputation as a progressive beacon of economic vitality, deep racial inequities remain in the labor market that are made worse by the pandemic. Using disaggregated data analysis, the report identifies workforce equity strategies that should be implemented to foster broad economic prosperity.
New plan outlines bold strategies to transform workforce development for an equitable economic recovery
Recover Better: A Regional Plan for Equitable Economic Recovery is a 3-5 year blueprint to align shared priorities between regional partners in the local workforce development system. It analyzes the economic impacts from COVID-19, the recovery outlook for sectors and workers, and presents two north stars: equitable economic recovery and job quality.
RFP 20-01 - Youth Programs: Announcement + Virtual Bidder’s Conference
On January 11, 2021, the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC) released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the provision of education, employment, training, and youth development services for in-school youth ages 14-21 and out-of-school youth ages 16-24 residing in King County. Services will be funded in accordance with resources from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
From Response to Recovery
COVID-19 is a wakeup call for our region. We must address long-standing racial inequities as we respond to the crisis.
In Program Year 2019 (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020) we served 41,069 people, including 1,365 young people (age 16-24). We also served 1,735 businesses, including 413 we had not worked with before. Those numbers only hint at the unthinkable challenges our communities and systems faced this year—a global pandemic that took lives and upended livelihoods and had an unequal impact on Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and immigrants and refugees. From infection rates to employment rates, those most at risk were most impacted.
Webinar: How Much is Enough in Washington State?
Presented via Zoom, by University of Washington’s Center for Women’s Welfare
Wednesday October 28, 1pm-2pm
Join us for this hour-long webinar as Lisa Manzer & Annie Kucklick from University of Washington’s CFWW share an overview of the self-sufficiency standard and findings from the newly released 2020 report, which details the cost of living increases and the impacts across the state of Washington.
Higher cost of living for adults and families across all Washington counties
Both single adults and families face higher costs of living in every county in Washington state. In Seattle, a single adult needs to earn more than the minimum wage to meet basic needs, and more than double that—$34 an hour—if they are caring for an infant. The data comes from the 2020 update to the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Washington State, which provides an in-depth look at the cost of supporting a working family based on housing, childcare, food, healthcare, transportation, and eligible supports.
New Grant to Fund COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Efforts
The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County is pleased to announce a $500,000 investment from JPMorgan Chase focused on COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts. The WDC will assist individuals who have lost jobs and income as a result of the ongoing public health emergency.
To Reduce Racial Inequality, We Must Reduce Economic Inequality
We begin the next program year in a substantially different place than from last year, even than from a few months ago. The health and economic impacts of COVID-19 have created massive disruptions to the economy and created a new reality for workers, the unemployed, and small businesses.
Update on RFP #19-02 WIOA Business Services - Delay Until March 2021
We have decided to delay the RFP #19-02 for WIOA Business Services until March 2021. This allows interested partners to focus resources on the challenging situation at hand, and for us to incorporate additional community feedback into the process.
Free Job Training, Financial Assistance for Workers Laid-Off from Valente Global
The U.S. Department of Labor approved benefits for workers who lost their jobs due to a lack of work after December 18, 2017. Workers may receive vocational training, additional unemployment benefits, relocation expenses, reimbursement for an out-of-area job search and the federal Health Coverage Tax Credit. Older workers may receive a subsidy that covers the difference in wages earned at the time of separation and those earned in re- employment.
Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County and Bank of America Announce $150,000 Year-Long Youth Workforce Development Partnership
SEATTLE, WA – The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC) and Bank of America announce a $150,000 year-long partnership tosupport the WDC’s Youth at Work Summer Employment Program.
Manufacturing Workforce in Seattle-King County to Receive Grant from National Fund for Workforce Solutions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Fund for Workforce Solutions has announced that two workforce collaboratives in its network—Seattle, Washington and Sarasota, Florida—will each receive $125,000 in grants for on-the-job training in high-demand advanced manufacturing skills.
Kaiser Permanente Awards $350,000 to Expand Youth Apprenticeship
On May 22nd the Kaiser Permanente Health Plan of Washington announced a generous grant of $350,000 to the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC) to expand apprenticeship opportunities in in-demand sectors for opportunity youth. "We’re pleased to have so many partners on-board as we take on this project,” said Marie Kurose, new CEO of the WDC. “It’s exciting to bring our focus on high-quality training and high-demand jobs into a community like South King County, where those resources, combined with a commitment to equitable outcomes, can have a huge impact on the lives of opportunity youth."
Meet Kristen Fox, New WDC Board Chair
In a recent board election, Kristen Fox was voted Chair for a 2-year term. Kristen has served as a board member since 2018, and we are excited for her to bring her business intelligence and acumen, in addition to her compassion, to this leadership role.
Self-Sufficiency Calculator Redesign Overview
The Self-Sufficiency Calculator was designed to support career planning, helping individuals to understand where they are starting, explore options, and make decisions about what to do next.
We are excited to announce that a design update will go live in early July. Read on to learn more, or let project manager Seanna Ruvkun take you on a quick video walkthrough.