Gov. Gregoire announces winners of Workforce and Economic Development Best Practice awards

For Immediate Release: October 15, 2009

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced the winners of the 2009 Workforce and Economic Development Best Practice awards. Five projects were recognized as models of success in creating jobs, building a skilled workforce and enhancing the economy in communities around the state.

�These five exceptional projects demonstrate the diversity, innovation and partnerships that are contributing to a new, stronger Washington,� Gregoire said. �Each partnership is helping our state build a globally competitive economy, and a better future for working families.�

The awards will be presented at the Workforce and Economic Development Conference in Spokane, Oct. 27-29, along with a Lifetime Achievement Award to David Harrison, a senior lecturer at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.

�Throughout his career, David has been a tireless advocate for educational and employment pathways that help all of Washington's citizens move ahead and into family-wage jobs,� Gregoire said. �This award pays tribute to the work David has done so well in addressing the barriers many of our citizens face, and finding new ways to solve them.�

This year�s Best Practice Awards recognize leadership and exemplary accomplishment in a project, program or initiative. Winners are:

Health Careers for Youth (Seattle) This program creates a career and education pathway for low-income youth who might otherwise overlook promising careers in health care. Health Careers for Youth provides high school students with career exploration, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training, prerequisite coursework in nursing and allied health occupations, and work-based learning. Forty students have completed the program, with 90 percent completing CNA training and 60 percent earning an industry credential by passing the national CNA certification exam.

Odessa Public Development Authority (Odessa) Community leaders partnered with the Lincoln County Economic Development Council, to form the Odessa Public Development Authority which successfully brought new businesses and jobs to the rural eastern Washington farming community of Odessa, population 980. A handful of agribusineses are now housed at an industrial park, including a bio-diesel processing plant. All together, five new businesses and 40 family-wage jobs were created�with as many as 80 more on the way.

Rural Outreach Nursing Education (RONE) project of Lower Columbia College (Longview) The RONE project provides nursing education to areas of Washington that have limited access, helping address a critical skill shortage through classes delivered over the web. By recruiting within their community and providing the training on-site, rural communities can now grow their own nursing staffs. Rural hospitals, clinics and other outpatient facilities provide hands-on clinical experience as part of this two-year associate degree registered nurse program.
Spaulding Business Park Project (Richland)--The Port of Kennewick, working in partnership with the City of Richland, purchased, developed and resold 30 acres of blighted neighborhood as a way to promote both urban renewal and economic development. The Spaulding Business Park has lured new business and corporate headquarters to Richland and created 482 new jobs. The Port of Kennewick has realized a profit of almost $1.3 million from its land improvement project.

Workforce Development Partnership at General Plastics Manufacturing Company (Tacoma) -- A collaboration of business, government and education has demonstrated how an engaged Washington employer can develop a workforce capable of meeting the tough demands of a global economy. General Plastics Manufacturing Company and the Business Connection collaborated on a recruiting strategy which included an assessment tool designed to determine important characteristics of their best current employees. The company also contracted with Tacoma Community College to design manufacturing systems curriculum and train 25 new managers and supervisors to succeed current employees as they retire.

The 2009 Workforce and Economic Development Conference and Best Practices Awards are organized by the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board and the Department of Commerce. The Department of Commerce is the lead agency charged with enhancing and promoting economic vitality in Washington. The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board is a partnership of labor, business and government, dedicated to helping Washington state residents obtain and succeed in family-wage jobs.