Washington Workforce Development News
Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board
January 12, 2023
STAY ON TOP OF WORKFORCE BILLS WITH LEGISLATIVE TRACKER
Follow workforce bills throughout the 2023 Legislative session. View bills our Workforce Board staff are tracking, along with presentations (we’ve got some good ones!) and materials at: https://wtb.wa.gov/about-us/workforce-board-legislative-tracker/
WORKFORCE BOARD ISSUES NEW BEHAVIORAL HEALTH REPORT
The Workforce Board, in conjunction with the Behavioral Health Workforce Advisory Committee, has issued a new report that addresses increasingly critical worker shortages in behavioral health professions in Washington. The report shows that low wages, high student debt levels, and the cost of education are driving shortages and turnover among counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other behavioral health workers. The Workforce Board staffs and manages the committee and has led efforts to address this issue since 2016. Employers, lawmakers, and others continue to tackle this challenge (see next news item). Also, read our news release: https://bit.ly/3XmeN9s and report at: https://bit.ly/3Xlkmou.
HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY LAUNCHES BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN
The Washington State Health Care Authority recently launched the second phase of its behavioral health career recruitment campaign. The goal is to increase interest in and ultimately grow the behavioral health workforce in Washington state. This includes a web portal that features testimonials from real behavioral health workers on why they enjoy working in the field. Check it out: https://www.startyourpath.org/
NEW STUDENT COMMUNICATORS JOIN STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
The State Board of Education has welcomed two high school juniors (one from Puyallup and one from Selah) to serve as agency’s first student communicators, helping to tell stories about education through writing and videos, while learning firsthand how government works. Read more: https://bit.ly/3jZklYU. SBE is also seeking a current high school sophomore from western Washington to serve a two-year term as a student representative for SBE and the Association of Washington Student Leaders. The Board alternates recruitment for student members between Eastern and Western Washington each year. Applications are due March 31. More: https://bit.ly/3vTEUZF
NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NAMED FOR RE-ENTRY COUNCIL
Janel McFeat, known for her human rights work, is the new executive director of Washington’s Statewide Re-entry Council. McFeat created a nationally recognized re-entry program using evidence-based practices and most recently served as program manager for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s re-entry program. She is also a Jamestown S’Klallam descendant. The Legislature created the Re-entry Council in 2016 to improve public safety and outcomes for formerly incarcerated people. More: https://bit.ly/3QFdeBm
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The 2023 legislative session is live and in person and nearly as compelling as this week’s workforce newsletter! Be sure to share it with a friend (or two)! To subscribe or unsubscribe (we'll miss you), email workforce@wtb.wa.gov.