Item No. 7b attach 4 
Meeting Date: July 14, 2020 





WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT 
2020 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 
REPORT 

The information in this report is based on listening sessions conducted with members of the community
who agreed to be involved in strategic planning activities for the Port of Seattle's Workforce
Development. This report is intended to provide a high-level analysis of the most prominent themes and
issues. While it's not possible to include all the detailed feedback we received, feedback that was relevant
to the strategic planning process is presented for the Port's review and consideration.

PROJECT OVERVIEW 
A Workforce Development Policy Directive is scheduled to be
presented to the Port Commission for consideration and
adoption in July 2020. The new Policy Directive will guide the
workforce development efforts of the Port. It will enable the
Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to advance the Port's      This report provides a summary
of community feedback received
commitment to workforce development programs and will
from December 2019 - March
support targeted efforts that directly benefit communities     2020 about early Workforce
impacted by Port activities, underrepresented communities, and      Development strategic planning
work for the Port of Seattle. 
port-related industries in King County and in Washington State.
The Policy Directive will advance the Port's commitment to
workforce development and is intended to: 

1.   Center diversity, equity, and inclusion 
2.   Create equitable access to economic prosperity 
3.   Leverage partnerships 
4.   Ensure a skilled workforce for the port and port-related industries 
5.   Demonstrate measurable outcomes 

As part of the Port's WFD strategic planning process, leadership and staff have conducted extensive
outreach to public and nonprofit partners within the community. This community engagement report 
is a product of months of engagement with workforce development government representatives,
community-based organizations, and clients of the workforce development programs funded by the
Port of Seattle. Included at the end of this report are definitions of terms such as equity, workforce
development, and wraparound services. 



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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OVERVIEW 

Engagement Timeline 
During our early strategic planning
we asked partners to tell us what
Port of Seattle workforce
development programs were working                 CBO Listening Sessions 
well and what impact these programs                  December 2019March 2020 
have on training a skilled workforce.                       Met with community-based organizations
We also asked WFD partners to help                    who currently have a WFD contract with the
us identify workforce development                      POS. 
needs, opportunities, and challenges
so that we can create WFD programs
that deliver the best solutions and
greatest impact for local                                  CBO Clients Listening Sessions 
communities.                                          December 2019March 2020 
While it is the job of the POS WFD                        Met with clients/students of POS-WFD 
team to recommend strategies for                     supported programs. 
meeting the workforce needs of the
region and the Port, we value and
rely on the expertise of community
partners. These relationships help us                    Public Partners Listening Sessions 
understand what is important in                        JanuaryMarch 2020 
different communities and if our
strategic planning is accounting for                        Met with WFD partners from local and
the needs of communities most                       regional public/government agencies. 
impacted by structural inequities. 

Report Back to Communities 
MayJune 2020 



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OUR APPROACH WITH COMMUNITIES 
Impact of WFD programs 
Why we asked for feedback 
The WFD Policy Directive outlines the goals              The development of the 2021-2023 WFD
to be achieved by the WFD strategic plan.               Strategic Plan will be informed by promising
practices and programs the Port has
The overarching goal of the Port's
supported that demonstrated measurable
Workforce Development program is to
impact and can be brought to scale. 
increase equitable access for workers and
to increase opportunities for them to                    What we asked 
acquire the skills and education they need
In your experience with WFD programs,
to secure increasingly complex and better
what has worked well? 
compensated jobs. 
What could be better? Is there
The Port has supported WFD programs for                 anything that you would change? 
more than two decades. We must continue             Do you have specific ideas or
to assess the impact of these programs to                  suggestions on how to improve the
determine and validate their efficacy in                      work/programs? 
producing the intended results. 


Why not just create a        During the initial strategic planning process design, the WFD team
strategic plan then ask        determined that stakeholder engagement would be essential to develop
for feedback?                programs that meet the expressed needs of job seekers while balancing
the workforce needs of the Port of Seattle and port-related economic
activities. In particular, the WFD team wanted input on how to
strengthen the Port's workforce investments from those who develop
and implement WFD programs in communities throughout the region. 
To leverage the workforce development opportunities provided by the
Port of Seattle, we conducted listening sessions not only to gauge the
impact of the Port's Workforce Development programs, but also to see 
if the investments had been allocated in areas that met the needs of job
seekers in the region. 

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HOW WE REACHED OUT TO STAKEHOLDERS 
Port staff created a list of community-based organizations the Port has supported with its funding of
workforce development programs. Staff also identified workforce development stakeholders and
partners in aviation, maritime, and construction that the Port has collaborated with in the past. To
obtain input from a wide variety of stakeholders while performing in-depth analysis and planning in a
relatively short period of time, staff organized and convened listening sessions by sector and by role.
We held separate listening sessions for community-based organizations whose programs focus on
aviation, maritime, and construction. We also held separate listening sessions for job seekers, students, 
and clients of these organizations in the aviation, maritime, and construction sectors. Additionally, we
met with government workforce development representatives. 

WHO WE HEARD FROM 
Stakeholders 
To make sure that we heard
from a range of stakeholders, we            1.   ANEW 
held 18 listening sessions with 13             2.   Highline Skills Center 
different groups of which five                3.   Youth Maritime Collaborative 
were with clients/students of                4.   Museum of Flight 
programs that the Port funds.                5.   Port Jobs 
6.   Priority Hire Outreach, Training and Retention Partnership 
It was not possible for us to meet            7.   Regional Pre-Apprenticeship Collaboration (RPAC) 
with all the organizations that                8.   Regional Public Owners 
the Port has supported or                   9.   Seattle-King County Workforce Development Council 
partnered with; therefore, we               10. Tyee High School Internship 
met with organizations with                 11. Urban League 
which the Port is currently                    12. Western WA. Apprenticeship Coordinators 
13. Washington Alliance for Better Schools 
supporting or partnering. 

178 PARTICIPANTS 
Construction                           Clients               54
52%

Aviation                                       Staff                                124
28%     Maritime
17%
0         50        100       150
Government
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3%

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS 
It is rare for community engagement to occur during the early stages of a strategic planning process. 
Typically, community engagement begins after the process is completed. We were pleased with the
number of people who participated and were involved in the strategic planning process and by the
quality of the responses we received. 



Establish a policy of transparency about                Avoid duplicating efforts by partnering
funding and program performance and              with state and local workforce agencies
eliminate structural barriers to                          and boards to offer evidence-based
procurement and contracts.                          training. 




Allow flexible funding that supports                   Conduct more community outreach,
wraparound services to address                    specifically to historically
retention and completion challenges.               underrepresented populations. 



Ensure employer readiness to                      Expand career pathways to
increase retention.                                    targeted in-demand careers. 

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Key Findings Recommendations 

Transparency: Establish a policy of transparency about funding and program 
performance. 
1.   Make information about the flow of workforce funds (agency budgets,
plans, RFPs, and awarded contracts) easily available to the public online. 
This would help providers and partners identify potential opportunities to
fund evidence-based workforce development models. 
2.   Make workforce program performance information easily available to the
public and link data across public service systems. This will help individuals
exploring opportunities select the program that will work best for them,
and thereby drive more job seekers and resources toward the higherperforming
, evidence-based programs. Performance data should be
presented in a user-friendly manner and broken down by training provider
and program of study. 

Procurement Process: Eliminate structural barriers to procurement and contracts. 
1.   Make the certification and bidding process less cumbersome. 
2.   Remove barriers to entry for non-profits and small businesses by reducing
insurance and bonding thresholds. 
3.   Increase the number of contracts available for small businesses including
breaking contracts apart into more manageable pieces. 
4.   Simplify and expedite the contract process. 
5.   Make faster payments. 

Coordination Across Systems: Avoid duplicating efforts by partnering with state
and local workforce agencies and boards to offer evidence-based training. 
1.   Support and coordinate policies and programs across the numerous
economic and workforce development agencies to ensure a skilled
workforce can support business and economic growth in the region. 
2.   Encourage collaboration between workforce and educational programs at
the regional level to align programs with each other and regional labor
market needs. 



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Wraparound Services: Allow flexible funding that supports wraparound
services to address retention and completion challenges. 
1.   Allocate funding to incentivize training and education completion
where students receive stipends for achieving milestones and or
completing a program. 
2.   To reduce barriers to program completion, provide program funds to
pay for transportation, child care, tools, and equipment. 
3.   Allow funds to be used to support individuals who face challenges
early in their job placement (e.g., transportation, childcare, tools,
etc.). 

Community Outreach: Conduct more community outreach, specifically to
historically underrepresented populations. 
1.   Engage in consistent and continuous communication with communities
that are underserved. 
2.   Market the benefits of jobs in port-related industries to targeted
populations and engage them in the development of strategies and
programs. 
3.   Establish reliable procedures that provide partners and community
members the ability to communicate with WFD staff and maintain
regular contact with them. 
4.   Create a feedback loop between the Port's WFD program and the
community. 
Prepare Employers: Ensure employer readiness to increase retention. 
1.   Conduct equity, diversity, and inclusion trainings to ensure that 
they have the cultural competence to work with a diverse
workforce.

Career Pathways: Expand career pathways to targeted in-demand
careers. 
1.   Increase awareness of key port-related economic activities,
jobs, and career pathways. 
2.   Facilitate industry partner engagement with public and postsecondary
education to identify needed skill sets, design
relevant curriculum, and enhance the programs. 
3.   Provide more work-based learning opportunities for students,
teachers, and job-seekers. 

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Aviation Key Feedback 
Overall, we heard that the partnership between Port Jobs, Airport University, and the Port of Seattle has
led to increased job opportunities for women and people of color at the airport. 

Clients and students indicated the areas they considered to be among the most important are related to: 
Access to free education, materials, computers, and parking; 
Employment support (e.g., help with resumes, cover letters, and interview techniques); 
Job placement; and 
Support with permits. 

Challenges:                                            Opportunities: 
Greater outreach, both in the                     Expand the aviation career pathways to
community and at the airport.                        other targeted, in-demand pathway
jobs within the aviation and facilities
Additional language capacity at the
maintenance pathway and other areas
Airport Employment Center. 
(e.g., ground operations, safety and
Expansion of Airport University (e.g.,                  security). 
more classroom space, additional
To achieve greater scale, create
course offerings, upgraded technology,
employment opportunities at the Port
etc.). 
of Seattle. 
Additional Airport University
Work with Airlines to serve as training
scholarships. 
agents. 
Work supports (e.g., child care,
transportation assistance, etc.). 
Greater employer (and union)
engagement. 
"The program gave me enough
skills to apply and interview for
jobs at the Port against people that
had 20 years of experience." 
"I was almost giving up on
education, but this class gave me
direction in life and motivation" 



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Construction Key Feedback 
Overall, we heard that the Priority Hire and construction training and education partnerships between the 
Port of Seattle, King County, City of Seattle, King County Metro, Sound Transit, and community-based 
organizations have been instrumental. These partnerships have allowed stakeholders to coordinate
workforce development efforts. 
Clients and students indicated the areas they considered to be among
the most important in the construction programs are related to: 
"They take us to apprentice
Employment support (e.g., help with resumes, cover letters, 
and interview techniques);                                          programs and give us a feel
Support with skills training in pre-apprenticeships; and              for what the real world looks
Support with work permits and credentials.                         like." 
Challenges:                                                Opportunities: 
Greater community outreach.                          Continue to partner with other regional
Workforce projections associated with                   public owners to develop a pipeline of
Port priority hire/apprentice utilization, so                 skilled construction workers to meet
that programs can align their efforts with                 current and future needs driven by Port
projected demand.                                     and other public infrastructure projects
and broaden access to training and jobs
Pre-apprenticeship training program
for target populations and priority
reforms (e.g., increased accessibility of
communities.
classes in terms of times and location,
integration/contextualization of language                Fully implement the Port's priority hire
skills, community college partnerships,                    policy and program and evaluate its
etc.).                                                          impact.
Funding for pre-apprenticeship training                  Identify opportunities to establish
programs.                                              apprenticeships within the Port's internal
workforce. 
More supportive services, including during
apprenticeships (e.g., tools and work                    Continue funding for construction worker
clothes, relicensing, transportation, child                  outreach, training, and retention services,
care, etc.), to help with retention and                      with a focus on target populations and
completion.                                              priority communities, as part of the effort
to develop a pipeline of skilled
Other retention support (e.g., navigation
construction workers.
and mentoring). 
Policy: Allow organizations to do screening
Tracking of results. 
for jobstrust the partners. 
Lack of transparency. 
Policy: Change educational
Contracting takes too long.                                requirementsthis would allow more
Lack of accountability.                                       people of color to qualify for internships 

"It doesn't matter how good we do in the program; the desirable trades have a waiting list." 

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Maritime Key Feedback 
Overall, we heard that the Youth Maritime Collaborative (YMC) has been successful in organizing and
offering a series of experiential and career connected learning events to K-12 students that introduce
youth to maritime careers and career pathways. This multi-agency partnership has allowed stakeholders
to coordinate maritime workforce development efforts. YMC partners have developed a resource
database of key partners for career connected learning, service learning, field trips, guest speakers,
workshops, support/wraparound services, academic support, and career and college navigation. 
Additionally, YMC has organized and/or attended industry events for maritime employer outreach and
recruitment. 
Clients and students indicated the areas they considered to be among the most important in the
maritime programs are related to: 
Experiential learning; 
Wraparound supports that allow them to participate and learn;
Service hours credits; and 
Employment readiness support (e.g., help with resumes, cover letters, and interview techniques). 
Challenges 
Community outreach, specifically
reaching historically underrepresented             "The plan that we wrote together is a start
populations.                                        but the one piece that is missing is that wrap-
Increasing the number of maritime                   around services and the connective tissue.
internships and providing interns stipends          One good thing that Port Townsend does
and wraparound supports.                        well, is have a thread of maritime curriculum
Active Port engagement and commitment           from K-12. We need opportunities for
(e.g., using its influence with maritime              students to explore before high school and 
create a beyond plan." 
employers to engage them in the
strategy, increase the number of
internships, etc.).                                    Opportunities 
Maritime employer readiness for interns.                  Increase capacity for Youth Maritime
Maritime career connected learning                        Collaborative by collaborating across 
opportunities that span the continuum                  organizations and creating stronger
(e.g., awareness, exploration,                             partnerships with public agencies and
preparation, work experience, and skills                  industry leaders. 
training and education), and help youth                 Conduct landscape analysis of youth
move along the continuum, not just one-                serving institutions. 
time events.                                               Build relationships with employers to
Employers are not ready for youth,                          hire students. 
specially youth of color. 

"They are trying really hard to make it appealing, but I'm not interested because it is grunt work." 

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Definitions 
"Career Pathways" means an integrated collection of programs and services intended to develop
community members' core academic, technical and employability skills; provide them with continuous
education, training; and place them in high-demand, high-opportunity jobs and careers. 
"Economic Development Programs" means occupational job training and placement, job advancement
and job retention, pre-apprenticeship training, or occupational education programs associated with port
tenants, customers, and local economic development related to port tenants or port-related economic
activities that are sponsored by a port and operated by a nonprofit, private, or public entity. The Port of
Seattle refers to these as "workforce development programs." 
"Equity" means fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people while striving to
identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups. Improving
equity involves (1) increasing justice and fairness with the procedures and processes of institutions or
systems and (2) a fair, intentional distribution of resources. For example, racial equity considers root
causes of inequities and results in the elimination of racism in all policies, practices, attitudes, and cultural
messages at the structural, institutional, and individual levels. 
"Workforce Development" means the composite of strategies and services, including career connected
learning, K-12 education, worker and employer training and job matching that help connect and retain
regional workers to careers within the Port and port-related economic activities, and that help ensure
area businesses have access to the skilled workforce they need to thrive and grow. 
"Wraparound Services" means those services and support systems including but not limited to, public
transportation assistance, clothing, tools, food assistance, child-care and monetary compensation as
allowable by law, regulations and funding sources, that promote access and stronger alignment of
workforce, education, vocational rehabilitation, and other human services systems. 
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