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Panelists cite financial aid and child care as key policy levers to expand workforce pipelines
Summary
College and system leaders told employers and policymakers that expanding awareness and access to the Washington College Grant, state work‑study and child‑care supports will increase student participation in career‑relevant programs and address employer talent shortages.
Panelists at a Washington workforce event identified financial aid and child care as policy priorities for expanding participation in workforce and applied‑learning programs.
Terry Sanders Kwan, president and CEO of Independent Colleges of Washington, said outreach and awareness are critical for financial‑aid programs and urged employers to use state tools to help workers access education. Paul Francis noted that the Washington College Grant is a core resource, is available with no age limit and now covers students enrolled less than half time and in apprenticeship programs.
"That is absolutely core to the students in Washington," Terry Sanders Kwan said of the Washington College Grant and related programs, adding that state work‑study also allows employers to hire students with partial wage support from the state.
Amy Morrison highlighted child care as infrastructure that directly affects student access: many community and technical colleges offer early‑childhood programs, operate campus early learning centers for students and employees, and train early‑childhood educators. Morrison said childcare remains a crisis point after the pandemic and urged partnerships on policy to shore up capacity.
Panelists also pointed to programs that support basic skills and English‑language learners. Paul Francis described IBEST (Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training), a model that pairs basic skills instruction with technical training, and urged sustained funding and pathways into credit programs for refugees and other ESL students. Terry Sanders Kwan underscored WASFA as a state financial‑aid pathway for noncitizen students.
Panelists made no formal policy proposals during the session; instead they recommended two practical steps for employers and policymakers: increase promotion of existing financial‑aid options to reach more students, and coordinate with colleges to expand on‑campus child‑care capacity and applied learning opportunities.
