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Workforce shortages are a pressing issue for Washington employers! Employers, workers and all community members are encouraged to share their thoughts on Washington’s workforce system through a new survey.The survey is part of the Washington Workforce Training & Education Board’s community outreach as the state’s next workforce plan is created. The plan, Talent and Prosperity for All, is being developed now and will guide investments of roughly $1.3 billion in state and federal dollars that serve nearly 500,000 Washingtonians. Many Washington employers face a serious shortage of skilled workers, and workers need family-wage jobs that offer stability and opportunities to advance.TAKE THE...

The transformation of West Sound Technical Skills Center in Bremerton is visibly underway, with the first phase of a multi-year renovation project progressing steadily. Onlookers can see the 125-foot yellow crane carefully maneuvering steel beams to construct a new, two-story, 50,000-square-foot building on the southeast corner of the campus. This ambitious effort is on track for completion by September 2025, just in time for the 2025-26 school year.Andersen Construction and Bassetti Architects are spearheading the project, working diligently to meet the tight timeline despite the challenges of winter weather. "They're out there four days a week, 10 hours a day,"...

Read full story on Kitsap Sun;  Northwest Maritime high school students could be a new hope for WSF workforce deficitIn a new program, Washington State Ferries is aiming to remedy its shortage of maritime workers by training high schoolers.About a dozen 12th graders enrolled in Northwest Maritime and Highline Public School’s Maritime High School boarded a ferry leaving the Coleman Dock in Seattle on Wednesday. For the rest of the day, their second day of “Classroom on the Water,” the students would travel across Puget Sound, absorbing vessel operation skills and knowledge with hands-on learning and instruction from various instructors...