I don't know about you, but in my family when I was a kid, the goal was always to go to college. Both of my parents were college educated. All of my siblings went to college, I was the youngest in my family, and I was expected to go to college as well. I went to what is now called Central Washington University. (Back then, it was State College.)
Yes, I am in this photo. (Second row from the top, in the middle)
I was lucky, our family was in a financial situation where they could afford to send me to college. (That's not true for everyone.) My parents thought of it as sending me off to get a college education, I thought of it as occupational training. I entered school with a music scholarship, but my goal was to get into television. And I wound up gravitating towards radio and now here I am.
If I had presented to my parents my actual plan, they would not have put up any money to send me to a trade school. They really wanted that college degree for me. After two years at Central I entered the workforce and started my career.
So why am I telling you all this?
Because skilled workers are needed across Washington state, and many can't afford training. Now they are getting help from Washington’s Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board.
according to spokesman.com,
“About $1.6 million in scholarships was awarded to 121 students by Washington’s Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board. The Washington students will receive up to $13,536 each in June. The scholarship, called the Washington Award for Vocational Excellence or WAVE Scholarship, was recently funded an additional $500,000 by Gov. Jay Inslee and the Washington Legislature.”
This is great news, but it's not nearly enough. This particular program got its start in 1984, it was cut off in 2010 and was not re-instated until 2022.
We need more skilled workers in more disciplines all across Washington state.
$1.6 million in scholarships awarded to trades students in Washington | The Spokesman-Review
Gallery Credit: Randy Kirby
Gallery Credit: James Rabe
