WorkForce Central

Read more about this innovative approach the Netherlands is taking to address the workforce shortage in long-term healthcare workers while simultaneously supporting students on their education and training journey. This is a great example of thinking outside the box. https://loom.ly/M2sUu4o

We're hiring! Join our Business Solutions team as a Program Assistant. The position provides technical and administrative support through tasks dedicated to assisting in the coordination of workforce services/initiatives. The work is of a complex, confidential nature requiring knowledge of the professional and technical aspects of the job with expertise and skill in administration and internal team coordination. Learn more about the position and apply at https://loom.ly/2k-f2Jw

Palmer Pathways is a great pre-apprenticeship program we are proud to partner with and support. They are helping build the next generation of trades workers one cohort at a time.

Mi Centro hosted a gathering this week for WorkForce Central staff along with our partners at The Black Collective and Career TEAM to meet with representatives from the Washington State Department of Commerce and Employment Security Department to discuss the local impact from the Community Reinvestment Plan.  As of this week, our Business Solutions team, with the support of our community partners, has distributed and/or allocated more than $500,000 to Black, Latine, and Native American small business owners in Pierce County for asset purchases, wage reimbursement, and employee training. 

Community Reinvestment Funds have been a gamechanger for small businesses in Pierce County. As of this week, our Business Solutions team has been able to get more than a half million dollars into the hands of Black, Latine, and Native American small business owners with the help of Washington State Department of Commerce and our community partners.  

Thank you to all of our partners who came out yesterday for our annual WorkSource Pierce Partnership Conference. It was a great day of making connections and continuing education. Check out our photo album from the event. https://loom.ly/CMtxqBM

Congratulations, Deborah! Your leadership and commitment to our local workforce development system has far-reaching impact and is truly inspiring.

Many great things are happening through the work of the Pierce County Behavioral Health Consortium. While we just celebrated three Behavioral Health Interns who completed a Degrees of Change SEED summer internship, there are also 52 interns in Pierce County currently signed up and receiving monthly stipends to help support them while in their internships. This is part of a strategy identified by the Consortium to help boost retention. Most interns in the Behavioral Health field participate in internships with little to no pay, a struggle that was pointed out when we convened a group of stakeholders and practitioners. This is just one of several plans the Consortium has in the works to help support and strengthen this workforce in Pierce County.

Yesterday, WorkForce Central staff member Shellie Willis, MSM Nonprofit, CDFM-A,LSSBB and representatives from Port of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Schools participated in a roundtable discussion led by Us Senator Patty Murray around the need for workforce training opportunities in the maritime industry, particularly to support the Port of Tacoma. Senator Murray is working to secure $500,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to help establish a maritime-specific curriculum for Pierce County students at the Maritime 253 Skills Center once its doors open. Read more about her visit to Pierce County. https://loom.ly/w_ugM48

WorkForce Central staff spent yesterday and today at Chambers Bay for a retreat focused on team building, professional development, and continuing education surrounding equity. Caprice Hollins (she.her) from Cultures Connecting, LLC facilitated a workshop on microaggressions and effective tools to address them in your work and personal life. It was a great two days connecting and learning.