Washington Governor Jay Inslee visited Clark College to show his support for Career Launch programs. His visit included meeting students and industry partners involved in the programs that Career Connect SW helped to endorse, including Land Survey & Geomatics with Mackay Sposito and Professional Baking and Pastry with Eurobake.

As a part of the regional network of Career Connect Washington, Career Connect SW at ESD 112 partners with Clark College, Washington State University Vancouver, Lower Columbia College, all K-12 school districts, and dozens of local industry partners to begin career awareness and exploration as early as kindergarten.

“We support teachers in integrating career exploration and aid partners in developing career prep programs to create a bridge into post-secondary programs,” explains Vickei Hrdina, Executive Director of Career Connect SW at ESD 112.

Hrdina is referring to programs like Career Launch, a certified partnership that aligns high school graduates with an earn-as-you-learn opportunity and results in credentials. Businesses partner with higher education or other credentialing organizations to provide paid work experiences to students so they can obtain the training needed to make them a competitive candidate for career growth.

“It is our vision that each student graduates from school with clear pathways to prosperous work opportunities that are not predicated by social, cultural or economic factors,” explains Hrdina.

During the visit, Career Connect SW shared with Governor Inslee the power of aligning multiple systems that result in student’s seeing the how their learning applies to whatever pathway their future holds early and often.

In addition, CCSW highlighted their Flipped Internship Program which partners a class of students with an employer to engage in authentic problem solving. This type of involvement allows students to meet professionals in a specific field, understand what skills are needed for success and to gain social capital.

For more information on CCSW or to become a partner, contact Vickei Hrdina.