(revised)

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2                                 ORDER NO. 2021-05 
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4                   AN ORDER OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION 
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6   To direct the Executive Director to allocate up to $2.0 million from the COVID-19 Emergency
7   Fund to support the Port of Seattle's 2021 Opportunity Youth Initiative and to exempt all related
8   contracts from the requirements of Chapter 53.19 RCW.
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10                                                  PROPOSED 
11                                                MAY 11, 2021
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13                                               INTRODUCTION 
14 
15    The mission of the Port of Seattle is to promote economic opportunities and quality of life in the
16    region by advancing trade, travel, commerce, and job creation in an equitable, accountable and
17    environmentally responsible manner. The Port's stewardship of aviation and marine operations,
18    infrastructure, and environmental assets is essential to Washington State's economy and quality of
19    life and is critical to the Port's ability to fulfill its mission.
20 
21    The Port is well-positioned to stimulate economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by
22    providing short-term workforce development opportunities through accelerated investment in the
23    preservation, maintenance, and enhancement of Port assets programs, and Port-related economic
24    activity. Examples  include  habitat  restoration  and  clean  -up  projects  that  support  Port
25    developments, environmental enhancements, improvements to near-port communities' quality of
26    life, expansion of public art, training, and collaboration with regional partners to promote
27    responsible travel through Port facilities.
28 
29    This Order seeks for related programming to be implemented to support the Port's 2021 
30    Opportunity Youth Initiative from approximately between the months of June 2021 through
31    December 2021, pending final negotiations.
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33 
34                                            TEXT OF THE ORDER 
35 
36    The Commission directs the Executive Director to execute workforce development contracts for
37    Partner in Employment, Seattle Goodwill, Seattle Parks Foundation, and Urban League of
38    Metropolitan Seattle for up to a total of up to $2,000,000.
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40    The Commission exercises its authority under RCW 53.19.020(5) to determine that a competitive
41    solicitation process is not appropriate or cost-effective to address the emergency nature of the
42    youth facing the highest unemployment rates in King County, among other indicators in King
43    County. Consist ent with the direction by Commissioners during the May 26, 2020, Commission
44    meeting, the workforce development contracts will best benefit areas with the highest rate of youth
45    unemployment, including for Black/Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) youth, and youth in
46    South Seattle and South King County; create connections with Port industries; enhance the breadth

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47    of industries/opportunities; promote career trajectory for students, connecting to another program;
48    work with organizations that have a strong track record and can deliver solid results; and deliver
49    more experience and economic benefit to students, achieved through lower overhead. 
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51    The Commission has determined that a competitive process with these four nonprofit organizations
52    is not appropriate or cost-effective because: 
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54        1.  The Port continues to operate under the State's Healthy Washington  Roadmap to
55            Recovery Plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with on-going uncertainty. T he
56            Port's own road to recovery has had many program and financial adjustments impacting
57            program delivery.
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59        2.  The organizations have the ability to promptly provide youth opportunities during the
60            summer months in 2021 in support of workforce development and economic recovery
61            while the State is under the Roadmap to Recovery phases. Economic recovery continues
62            to be an urgent need since COVID-19 impacts youth internship opportunities, particularly
63            for our BIPOC youth community. 
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65        3.  The organizations are operating during the COVID-19 shutdown and are utilizing social
66            distancing practices, as required in the State's Roadmap to Recovery plan. 
67        4.  The organizations have pre-established, successful workforce development programs
68            supporting youth opportunities serving South King County youth in Port-related industries
69            allowing for a more reasonable program launch and flexibility should the State change the
70            Roadmap to Recovery requirements during the program timeframe. 
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72                                  STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE ORDER 
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74    While workers in nearly every sector of Washington's economy have been adversely affected by
75    the COVID-19 pandemic, the loss of employment opportunities for low-skilled workers between
76    16-24 years of age is the most substantial. According to the Washington State Employment
77    Security Department in 2020, the highest number of claims per capita were workers with a high
78    school equivalent education or less between the ages of 18-24, living in south Seattle or the south
79    King County area, and workers of color. 
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81    The pandemic continues to cause significant hardships on people in these demographics. They
82    were laid-off at higher rates, had fewer employment opportunities, and had fewer career-training
83    opportunities. For example, opportunities in leisure and hospitalitysectors in which young
84    people often find employmentrepresented 42 percent of all job losses in the state. Similarly, the
85    unemployment rate in King County for February 2021 (5.3%) was more the double the rate for the
86    same month in 2020 (2.5%). 
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88    2020 Opportunity Youth Initiative Results 
89    OYI successfully provided internships, valuable income, and job-training for 196 people within
90    the targeted demographics in 2020. 
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92    Demographics 
93    Interns in OYI programs in 2020 were of the following demographics: 
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95         78% were between the ages of 16-19 
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97         22% were between the ages of 20-23 
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99         93% identified as BIPOC 
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101         32% identified as female 
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103    Program Costs 
104    A total of $1,338,087 program expenditures (89% of the $1.5 million budgeted) funded 196 paid
105    internships at a rate of $15 per hour, plus wraparound services, program management, and
106    materials. Had the program been extended an additional one to two months, the Port's program
107    partners could have expended the full budgeted amount while producing more and/or longer
108    internships. 
109 
110    Educational Benefits 
111    The program received high marks from its internship-participants: 
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113         90% reported learning new skills to help them be successful in finding a job. 
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115         81% said they gained an understanding of their future career and/or educational goals and
116            how to reach them. 
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118         87% said they felt more knowledgeable about job opportunities in the industries. 
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120    Demand for OYI Services is Increasing 
121    Four well-established nonprofits in King County produced OYI internships in 2020Seattle
122    Goodwill,  Seattle  Parks  Foundation,  Partner  in  Employment,  and  the  Urban  League  of
123    Metropolitan Seattle. Leaders from each of these nonprofits stated to Port staff that they're eager
124    to provide comparable programming in 2021 and most of them have had requests from students
125    and parents inquiring about 2021 opportunities. 
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127    Similarly, Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales reached out to Port Commissioners and
128    staff, asking if the City could contribute to a 2021 iteration of the program, probably using portions
129    of the City's allocation of the American Rescue Plan Act. 
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131    Program Implementation 
132    Facilitated by community-based providers who specialize in employment readiness, cultural
133    enrichment, mentorship, educational opportunities, and career readiness training in the focus areas
134    of the Port of Seattleaviation, maritime, green careers, and constructionthe program offers
135    participants an opportunity to explore career interests and develop work-readiness skills through
136    learning experiences designed to strengthen civic and leadership abilities. 
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138    OYI has specific programmatic elements that must be met by each organization in furtherance of
139    its workforce development program: 
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141           Best benefit areas with the highest rate of youth unemployment for youth of color and
142            youth in communities most impacted by COVID-19. (Data provided by Seattle-King
143            County Public Health and the Workforce Development Council); 
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145           Connection  with  Port-related  industriesaviation,  maritime,  green  careers,  and
146            construction; 
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148           Career trajectory for students as part of a workforce development program in accordance
149            with RCW 53.08.245 and the Port's Workforce Development Resolution and Policy
150            Directive; 
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152           Working with organizations that have established and effective youth internship programs, 
153            and; 
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155           A requirement of financial compensation for interns at a minimum rate of $15/hour. 
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157    Projects  must  provide youth  with  opportunities  to  participate  in  economic  activities  like
158    occupational job training, placement, advancement, retention, pre-apprenticeship training, or
159    occupational education programs associated with the Port's tenants, customers, and local economic
160    development related to the Port's tenants or Port-related economic activities. 
161 
162    Project staff must have at least five years demonstrated experience in education, mentorship,
163    leadership development, and empowerment of "opportunity youth," which is defined as young
164    people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither enrolled in school nor participating in the
165    labor market. 
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167    Project staff must have demonstrated cultural competency and possess a strong understanding of
168    operationalizing racial equity. Project facilitators must evaluate outcomes with quantitative
169    information including: number of trainees, recruited, placed in jobs, and retained; the types of jobs
170    and range of compensation; the number and types of businesses that are served; and any other
171    tangible benefits realized by the Port, workers, businesses, or the public. 
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173    In 2020, the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion created a working group with Port
174    employees from various departments with expertise in youth employment. A similar working
175    group will collaborate to oversee the 2021 iteration of the program, as identified below:
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177         Partner in Employment: This organization has strong ties with communities in South King
178            County, workforce development, and expertise in youth employment. It is uniquely
179            equipped and positioned to create solid career paths for incarcerated youth, youth at risk of
180            entering the juvenile justice system, immigrant populations, and low-income youth within
181            the South King County area. 
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183         Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle: This organization will develop, own and operate
184            housing for the benefit of low-income, homeless and formerly homeless people in
185            Washington State. This summer both programs will employ youth to help build tiny
186            cottages for the homeless. These programs are a bridge to link people of color to
187            apprenticeships or pre-apprentice construction training programs. 
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189         Seattle Goodwill: This organization has a long history (almost 100 years) of understanding
190            how  to  execute  student-centered  cultural  competency  within  King  County.  Seattle
191            Goodwill has three dynamic programs: Youth Maritime Program; Youth Aerospace
192            Program and Youth at Work which center on professional development designed to help
193            youth  identify  their  strengths  and  set  goals.  Goodwill's  partnerships  with  various
194            established organizations helps this program to fast track connecting students with career
195            opportunities within Port-related industries. 
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197         Seattle Parks Foundation: This organization will be the cluster lead and fiscal sponsor for
198            five grass roots organizations in the Duwamish Valley. This funding structure helps smaller
199            community-based organizations lead by people of color  navigate the governmental
200            process.  These  programs  will  create  internships  within  maritime,  aerospace,  and
201            environmental industries. 
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203    The competition waivers are justified on the basis that they will help the Port expeditiously meet
204    the extremely high need for summer 2021 internships for youth, in particular, the emergency nature
205    of the continuing skyrocketing BIPOC youth unemployment and secure the limited number of
206    programs that can meet the specific Port requirements. The Port is continuing its partnership with
207    organizations that could handle a ramp-up of activities during the pandemic and identified those
208    groups that could meet our legal, financial, programmatic and emergent issues. Identifying projects
209    and programs that can advance the Port's mission, including the creation of short-term internships 
210    emphasizing this age group, will continue to provide material benefit to the Port as it looks to
211    maintain, preserve, and enhance the assets and programs of statewide significance necessary to
212    continue Washington State's economic recovery in 2021. 
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214    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ATTACHED 
215    May 11, 2021 Presentation on 2020 Opportunity Youth Initiative Results and 2021 Proposal 






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