Leveraging STEM for Social Change

A strong cradle-to-career STEM education prepares students for in-demand, high-paying jobs and lifelong learning. STEM jobs are abundant in every region of our state, but systemic barriers prevent students from accessing career pathways equitably. 

The Washington Jobs Initiative (WJI) has invested nearly $17 million into eight job-training partnerships across the state. The goal is to train or upskill 5,000 students—placing at least 3,150 into high-demand, household-sustaining wage jobs upon completion of training. These programs are opening doors to five growing industries: construction, healthcare, advanced manufacturing and aerospace, clean technology and energy, and information technology and cybersecurity. 

Led by the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), the Washington Jobs Initiative focuses on building training programs within locally-led workforce systems by engaging historically marginalized communities and those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a sub-awardee, Washington STEM is designated to provide technical assistance to each backbone organization, co-creating a technical assistance framework and toolkits. Through community-of-practice convenings, we also established a format to share what's working and exchange ideas.

In partnership with the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD), the contract grant manager for our backbone organizations, we identified an opportunity to incorporate program site visits into the equity audit process. These visits create a direct line of visibility and coordination between ESD and the healthcare sector backbone, SEIU Healthcare. For statewide initiatives such as this, programming experts and decision-makers must work together to fulfill contract requirements and deliver the best possible experiences for students and instructors.

Each partner plays an essential role in supporting student persistence through this initiative. Washington STEM’s role is cross-system—we assess the whole landscape, ensuring adult mindsets and power structures evolve in ways that advance equity and opportunity for all participants.

The Washington Jobs Initiative targets industry and community organizations to help scale work-based learning programs, creating new pathways for young people to access training and connect to in-demand jobs. WJI launched more than 270 training programs with eight sectorial partners. Some were built from scratch and some were based on existing or partially developed programs. Due to the complexity of the varying differences in scope, size and approach to the work across each partnership, they have all had unique challenges to address as we built and launched each program. As all programs have now hit full stride, our partners are confident we will hit our placement goal of 3,150 young adults by September 2026. 

As of December 2025, 4,819 Washingtonians have enrolled in training programs, and 2,923 have completed their education. Both these figures are more than 90% to the goal. In addition, we have reached 75% of our placement goal, with 2,366 people placed in high-demand, household-sustaining jobs. At Washington STEM, we believe showing up in the environments where career pathway building happens in real time is critical to uncovering opportunities to strengthen the system as a whole. There’s more to come as we continue learning alongside our partners—but one thing is clear: when individuals and organizations lead with their strengths, we all move closer to a system that works better for everyone.

Partnerships + Data & Evidence + Policy & Advocacy = Systems Transformation 

At Washington STEM we foster deep, cross-sector engagement with partners at the state, regional, and local levels. Our place-based and statewide initiatives allow us to identify, scale, and spread effective solutions that serve as models for broader systemic change. We champion transformative solutions by informing decision-makers, amplifying impact stories, and forging alliances across systems and sectors to drive lasting, equitable policy change. 

As part of our work, we engage in state-level advocacy, including an advocacy coalition bringing together diverse individuals passionate about education and student success. The Washington STEM Advocacy Coalition exists to collect and disseminate information pertaining to statewide education policy. We work to provide feedback and evidence-based recommendations to the Legislature.

Washington STEM delivers non-partisan policy recommendations, stories of STEM in action, statewide data, and actionable insights into what helps students succeed.

Our collective goal, through policy and advocacy, is to champion transformative solutions by educating decision-makers, elevating community stories, and collaborating across sectors to lay the foundation for lasting and equitable change in Washington. 

Our 2026 priorities are grounded in the near-term goals of our strategic plan. They reflect our responsiveness to a short 60-day session, acknowledge the challenging budget landscape, and align with current lawmaker priorities. 

We’ve already started working on behalf of students, well before the session begins in January 2026.

Our 2026 Legislative Advocacy Goals

Advance Cross-Agency Early Learning–to–K12 Data Coordination 

GOAL: Strengthen system alignment and understanding of public and private investments, leading to more accessible child care for families across the state. 

Support Funding for the Online High School and Beyond Plan Platform 

GOAL: Ensure every student has access to meaningful, evidence-driven postsecondary and career planning tools shaped by community voice. 

Preserve Investments in Washington’s Postsecondary Education and Career Pathways 

GOAL: Sustain investments in financial aid and stackable career-connected learning experiences that are preparing students for high-demand opportunities, driving economic growth, and building a competitive, skilled workforce.

As we move into 2026, we are taking lessons learned from 2025 - a challenging year for education, but we are undaunted. 

Looking back at the 2025 Legislative Session in Washington state

It’s a difficult time for public education. With the massive budget shortfall in Washignton state, our lawmakers made tough decisions that directly affect students and families. Despite the challenges, Washington STEM remains committed to serving students by driving systems-level change. Our path forward begins with understanding how new policies and budget decisions will shape the education experiences of students and families across our state.

During the session, we met weekly with an Advocacy Coalition of 250+ members. We provided over 100 touchpoints of support, including engagement meetings, letter signing, testimony, and co-presented in a committee work session on High School to Postsecondary. 

Let’s take a moment to break down the key decisions and budget outcomes from an 105-day legislative session. 

Unfulfilled promises in early care and education (ECE)

In 2021, the Fair Start for Kids Act (FSFKA) promised to build a more equitable child care system through improved access, expanded subsidy programs, capped co-pays for families, and support for the child care workforce. This was a $1.1 billion step in the right direction, followed by years of further investments in our state’s ECE system. 

Now, a new law is rolling back that progress by delaying the implementation of the FSFKA, reflecting the difficult trade-offs lawmakers have had to make amid significant budget challenges. 

Support for child care facilities

There were some wins for our state’s ECE system. The legislature made a nearly $100 million investment in the Early Learning Facilities program. This program provides grant funding to WCCC and ECEAP providers for renovating, purchasing, or constructing child care facilities. Washington STEM was proud to support this investment.

A win for dual credit and career and technical education (CTE)

While our state has made strides to improve dual credit access, administrative barriers still keep high school students from applying their CTE dual credits towards a postsecondary credential. In 2023, only 3% of 56,000 Washington students successfully did so. 

Passed into law, HB 1273 builds on the momentum of a 2023 pilot program in the northwest region, which was funded to increase CTE dual credit participation and credential attainment in professional-technical programs. 

This work is taking a regional partnership approach to identifying barriers and testing solutions that may ultimately lead to statewide solutions.

We know that CTE is one of the most easily accessed dual credit options in our state. Continuing this pilot will help us understand statewide solutions to ensure that all Washington students take full advantage of these valuable courses.

What Hasn’t Changed from 2025 to 2026

We’ve seen what works. We know that targeted investments can yield small but powerful shifts that inform broader changes. These changes benefit all learners in Washington state.

Our students aren’t going away. They still need us to advocate for and with them. Here are key questions for legislators and advocates in 2026 and beyond: Where do we go from here? What do you envision for the future of education in Washington?

At Washington STEM, our vision is unchanged. We will continue to tackle the root causes of educational inequity and economic injustice—so that learners in every corner of our state have the necessary resources to become STEM-literate adults ready to step into in-demand, family-sustaining jobs.