Wenatchee Valley College awarded $130,000 for workforce development project

WENATCHEE — Wenatchee Valley College has been awarded $130,000 from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to support a new workforce development project.

The funding will go toward WVC’s Competency-Based Education for Industry and Degree Seeking Students project, which aims to redesign and expand programs to better meet local workforce needs. WVC is one of 12 community and technical colleges in Washington to receive funds through the Workforce Development Fund program.

According to the state board, the awards “aim to help industry thrive and expand in Washington state while continuing to support the development of a skilled workforce. The awards support projects that address the changing needs and expectations of industry and prospective students, or that bolster local workforce and economic development initiatives.”

At WVC, the Workforce Education department will collaborate with faculty to redesign suspended programs — including machining, graphic design, and engineering — into Continuing Education workforce courses with defined competencies and assessments. The courses will maintain credit alignment for co-enrollment while following a competency-based education model that allows students to progress at their own pace.

“We know that success in non-credit workforce programs often leads to longer-term enrollment,” said WVC Workforce Education Dean Tracy Donnelly. “And as an industry begins to engage with these offerings, especially when timed to their schedules or delivered as contract training, we’ll gain clearer insight into what they truly need.”

Donnelly said the college will also work with industry leaders to identify training necessary for competitiveness. “This approach gives us the flexibility we need as a rural college to truly become a college of choice for students and industry alike,” she said.

The Workforce Development Fund includes Invest in Washington funding that the state board uses to support customized training programs, job skills development, workforce professional training, and apprenticeship programs for manufacturing and production occupations.