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PacMountain workforce board presents annual report and 4-year plan to Mason County commissioners
Summary
Representatives from PacMountain described a shift to employer-driven sector strategies and a 30-by-30 occupational focus, reported improved outcomes and requested commissioners' continued oversight of WIOA-funded services. Commissioners discussed local service access and outreach to remote communities.
Representatives of PacMountain, the regional workforce consortium, presented an annual report and the board's four-year plan to Mason County commissioners on Jan. 14 and described a strategic shift toward employer-led sector training and decentralized service delivery.
William (PacMountain) opened the briefing with an overview of the consortium's interactive data tools and a sector strategy that targets six priority sectors and a "30 by 30" list of occupations PacMountain has prioritized for training over the next four years. "We've kind of flipped the script a little bit and we're focusing on the top 30 occupations," William said, describing work with local employers to define skills and cohort training to meet employer demand.
PacMountain said its funding mix has diversified away from historic reliance on WIOA formula funding, which now represents approximately 46% of its budget versus 80'90% in the past. The consortium described new poverty-reduction resources and community reinvestment funds (including cannabis revenue) that allow longer-term support for people on TANF and SNAP.
The presentation highlighted pilot efforts to decentralize services by placing staff and contractors in community locations (libraries, community organizations) rather than relying solely on large WorkSource centers. PacMountain said it is using data to target outreach at neighborhoods with high concentrations of people who are "sidelined" from the labor force — households characterized as ALICE (asset-limited, income-constrained, employed) and people in poverty.
Commissioners pressed PacMountain staff on service access in remote parts of Mason County, such as Belfair and Hoodsport, and whether decentralized approaches reach people without broadband or who cannot travel to Shelton. William and board members said outreach and smaller local contracts are being used to reach those communities and that libraries and partner organizations are key access points. "Rather than asking people to come into a center that is grossly underutilized, we would use that savings ... to move people into a more distributed model," William said.
PacMountain also described workforce initiatives including reentry programs, targeted manufacturing partnerships (examples: Truform, Sierra Pacific) and a goal to place 2,100 people into high-demand occupations across the region.
No formal action was taken; commissioners thanked PacMountain for the briefing and indicated they will continue oversight of WIOA and related funds.
PacMountain materials and data dashboards were referenced during the presentation and will be made available to commissioners.
