News release: Gov. Ferguson appoints Sims, Irwin to co-chair Washington Workforce Board

Gov. Bob Ferguson has appointed two prominent labor and business leaders to co-chair the Washington Workforce Board, the lead policy agency for the state’s workforce development system and investments.

April Sims, president of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, will represent labor. Sims leads Washington’s largest union organization, representing more than 600,000 members. She is the first woman to serve as labor council president, and first Black woman elected as president of an AFL-CIO state federation.

Morgan Irwin, vice president of government affairs at the Association of Washington Business, will represent business. Irwin, a former state representative, leads the association’s legislative and policy work at the local, state and federal level. The Association of Washington Business is the state’s oldest and largest business association representing all industry sectors throughout Washington.

News release: Washington to add more than 46,000 clean energy jobs by 2032

Clean energy jobs are expected to remain in high demand throughout Washington, despite rollbacks of federal incentives for new projects, a new Workforce Board report shows. Demand for electricity in Washington is increasing and new jobs are expected in the construction, critical minerals, manufacturing, aerospace and maritime industries, among others. Read more.

Workforce Board awards $1.1 million in career-focused scholarships

Washington unprepared to care for quickly growing senior population, new report shows

Apply today for WAVE scholarship

Washington Workforce Board launches Job Quality survey

Workforce Board awards $1.6 million in scholarships

Workforce Board highlights $1.4 billion public investment in workforce training

WAVE scholarship application portal now open

Public comment period open for state workforce plan, Talent and Prosperity for All

Washington Workforce Development News

February News

Gov. Ferguson appoints Sims, Irwin to co-chair Washington Workforce Board

Business, labor leaders to help guide state workforce policy

April Sims, president of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, will represent labor.

Sims leads Washington’s largest union organization, representing more than 600,000 members. She is the first woman to serve as labor council president, and first Black woman elected as president of an AFL-CIO state federation.

Friday Workforce Board meeting features legislative, career and technical education updates

The Workforce Board meets virtually this Friday, Feb. 20 at 9 a.m. The agenda includes career and technical education negotiated performance levels, a presentation of a proposed workforce dashboard, and a review of the state’s federal workforce development plan before it is posted for public comment. In addition, the board will hear a legislative update on bills impacting the workforce system.

Learn more and register for Friday’s meeting here.

OTHER NEWS

February is Career and Technical Education Month

February is career and technical education (CTE) month, and a chance to celebrate how CTE equips Washington students with real-world skills and connections to high-demand careers.

Washington students prepare for careers in healthcare, business, engineering, aerospace, advanced manufacturing and much more. New insights from the Workforce Board’s research team show these highlights of career and technical education in Washington:

More than 87,000 community and technical college students gained technical and career ready skills through CTE programs in 2023-24
More than 193,000 students in grades 9-12 gained technical and career-ready skills through CTE programs in 2023-24
State and federal investments totaled $1.25 billion during that time
Community and technical college students who participated in professional and technical training had a 10-year economic impact of $17.9 billion

The Workforce Board manages federal funds received through the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V). This investment supports hands-on, career-focused learning that prepares students for success in today’s workforce. Perkins funds are allocated to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Workforce Board to support career and technical education throughout the state.

2026 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Lawmakers consider measure to boost wellness training in the building trades

Washington lawmakers are considering a measure to address behavioral health and substance abuse risk in the building and construction trades. House Bill 2492, sponsored by State Rep. Greg Nance, D-Kitsap, would require state registered apprenticeships in the building and construction trades to provide behavioral health and wellness training, reports The Stand, an online newsletter of the Washington State Labor Council.

Overdose and suicide deaths now far outpace jobsite fatalities, the Center for Construction Research and Training reports. Nationwide in 2023, there were 982 fatal jobsite injuries among construction workers, with 15,910 fatal overdoses and 5,095 suicides.

Dale Marti, business representative for Local 48 IBEW, told lawmakers he has known union members who died by suicide. He later took training, and as a steward on job sites, people have since asked him for help.

“Because I’d received that training, I was able to get them to the care they needed,” Marti said.

Nova Gattman, the Workforce Board’s deputy executive director and legislative liaison, testified on the bill before the House Labor and Workplace Standards committee.

“Requiring training on behavioral health resources for building trades apprentices is an appropriate way for this body to support resilience for individuals, and that critical awareness to watch out for signs that one of their colleagues may be struggling, and needs additional support,” Gattman said.

The bill passed the House on Feb. 10. The companion bill is sponsored by State Sen. T’wina Nobles, D-Fircrest.

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Get FAFSA info on Career Bridge

The Workforce Board supports Gov. Bob Ferguson’s initiative to help Washington students and families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This initiative is part of an executive order expanding access to financial aid for college, apprenticeships, and other post-high school training. Learn more in the Pay for Education section on the state’s public-facing career-and-education portal, Career Bridge. Learn more about Career Bridge here.

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Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks on an outstanding season and Super Bowl win!

January News

Governor names Maddy Thompson Workforce Board acting director

Gov. Bob Ferguson has appointed Maddy Thompson as acting executive director of the Workforce Board.

Thompson recently served as the agency’s director of policy, strategy and research. She has broad policy, strategic planning, and public affairs experience. Her past roles include serving as an education advisor in the Governor’s Office under Gov. Jay Inslee, and as a research analyst in the Washington House of Representatives. She also led policy and government relations at the Washington Student Achievement Council and worked for several years prior to that as a policy analyst at the Workforce Board.

“The Workforce Board’s research and policy development support a strong business climate and living wage jobs throughout Washington,” Thompson said. “I look forward to working with lawmakers, board members and partners across the state to create strategies that help students, workers, and employers succeed.”

Board Co-Chair Gary Chandler, representing business, expressed his support.

“The Workforce Board is in good hands with Maddy Thompson,” said Chandler, former vice president at the Association of Washington Business. “She brings outstanding leadership and expertise to the agency. We’re lucky to have her on our team.”

Acting Co-Chair Cherika Carter, representing labor, also endorsed Thompson’s appointment.

“We’re grateful Maddy has stepped up to lead the Workforce Board during this transition,” said Carter, secretary-treasurer at the Washington State Labor Council. “Her leadership will be important as we continue advancing the Board’s vision—centering workers, job quality, and shared prosperity—while we move forward with the search for the next Executive Director.”

Chandler and Carter also thanked the agency’s former executive director, Eleni Papadakis, for her many years of state service.

“We greatly appreciate Eleni’s dedication to the Workforce Board and the people of Washington,” Chandler and Carter said in a joint statement.

Thompson began her new role last week. She looks forward to connecting with Board members and other stakeholders at the Jan. 23 Workforce Board meeting in Olympia.

Workforce Board meets Friday to focus on Workforce Pell

The Workforce Board will meet in person this Friday, Jan. 23 starting at 9 a.m., at the agency’s Olympia office. The agenda includes discussion of the transition to a new acting director; an update on how Washington is working to implement federal Pell grants; state responses to federal work requirements for food benefits; and more. Access the agenda and details here.

2026 legislative session: Changes to higher education funding, clean energy testimony

The Workforce Board is monitoring a bill that would change how higher education is funded in Washington. House Bill 2098 would eliminate a cap on certain taxes paid by large technology companies. The tax, known as the workforce education investment surcharge, was previously capped at $75 million a year. House Bill 2098 would remove that limit. The bill would also significantly expand the number of students eligible for the Washington College Grant. The bill is scheduled for a hearing Wednesday in the House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee.

In other legislative news, Workforce Board Policy Manager Ilene Munk testified last week before key committees in the House and Senate to inform lawmakers of a recent Workforce Board report prepared in partnership with the Clean Energy Technology Workforce Advisory Committee. The report provides the first ever assembled data on the age, gender, racial makeup and education level of the energy workforce in Washington. The report also includes Workforce Board research on the feasibility of establishing a transition to retirement program for workers near retirement who may lose their jobs due to new climate policies.

Monitor workforce bills with agency’s legislative tracker

Interested in workforce-related bills during this short, fast-paced, 60-day legislative session? Make sure to check out the Workforce Board’s 2026 legislative tracker. The Workforce Board’s team is following dozens of bills this session that impact the Board’s policy agenda and more.

The Workforce Board’s legislative agenda focuses on four main priorities: Support initiatives that help Washingtonians meet expanded work requirements and stay eligible for food and healthcare benefits; restore funding for wraparound support for apprentices and Core Plus, which provides students hands-on learning and skills; preserve investments in postsecondary programs; and support efforts that inform students of multiple education and career pathways.

OTHER NEWS

Amendment to make CTE classes eligible for AP credits

U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has introduced an amendment that would enable high school career and technical education (CTE) students to earn Advanced Placement credits for welding, health professions, advanced manufacturing, and other CTE classes.

“While I was able to take AP level photography and sculpture in school, there’s no equivalent available for welding or wood shop,” Gluesenkamp Perez said in a recent video from Onalaska. “If you’re trying to go into a college program, all these kids can’t afford to take shop class and have a competitive application.”

Gluesenkamp Perez represents the 3rd Congressional District in southwest Washington.

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