Career Connect NCW, a collaboration of organizations including Wenatchee School District, received full funding of a $854,540 grant to support career connected learning and youth registered apprenticeships. The grant was awarded by Career Connect, a Washington statewide public/private partnership founded by Governor Jay Inslee that supports career connected learning in order to prepare the workforce with the 21st century skills that employers need.

“A four-year degree isn’t the only path to a fulfilling career,” Governor Jay Inslee said when announcing the grant award. “Business leaders have told us they are looking for talent in everything from information technology to health care. And that’s what this initiative is all about: connecting students to great employers and high-quality job training.”

The Career Connect NCW application earned the highest score in the state.

The Career Connect NCW partnership includes organizations in Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Okanogan and Adams counties. The Chelan/Douglas county segment will receive $400,000 and includes Wenatchee School District, SkillSource, WorkSource, Wenatchee Valley College, the Apple STEM Network and Chelan County PUD as the business champion. 

“It took a lot of collaboration on behalf of those partners to come up with a very succinct application of how we were going to use these dollars and have consistent programs to support kids,” said Diana Haglund, Wenatchee Learns Connect coordinator and one of the grant writers.

“The funding comes in two buckets,” said Haglund. “$200,000 that will support youth and adult apprenticeship and building pathways for young people as well as adults, and $200,000 for career connected learning to support existing programs that we do here in the Wenatchee School District.” 

“The new thing that Wenatchee School District will see is some pathways for youth apprenticeship,” said Dennis Conger, Director of Career and Technical Education who also helped write the grant. “Apprenticeships will give our students a different way to receive their education where they can get paid while they learn. It will give them a great start in this world.” 

The grant will also provide continuation of career connected learning activities to support STEM career pathways, including computer science, healthcare and manufacturing.

Grant funds come from the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act, with an emphasis on opportunity youth—students who have been dropouts and are re-engaged.

“It's a strengthening of our existing partnerships that we have,” said Haglund. “It takes all of our partners working together to create these events and experiences that make career connected learning work for kids.”

Diana Haglund, Wenatchee Learns Connect coordinator and grant writer

Dennis Conger, Director of Career and Technical Educaion and grant writer