Guest post by Matt Isler
Executive Director, New Market Skills Center
Intro by Michael Cade, Executive Director, Thurston EDC & CBI

The futurist Richard Florida, who defined the term “the creative class” to describe emerging regional economies in the mid 2000s, also gave considerable attention to how communities move past the crushing environment of the pandemic years.  His writing mused that communities that create strategic plans together as a region, were more likely to be successful by any number of economic development measurements.  He also found that region’s that had achieved a high degree of wealth creation, high employment, job development, and sector growth were region’s that all were characterized as having high levels of talent, tolerance for new ideas and people, and developed the assurances of technology being available to all.  When applying these components to our local and regional economy, I am enthused that we have strong examples of these three elements. 

Education and workforce development is a cornerstone of not just our current economic environment, but are critical to the future of our region’s economic health.  We have been very proud of the role that our three higher education institutions plays in our community – South Puget Sound Community College, The Evergreen State College, and Saint Martin’s University.  But education and the recognition of its importance to our future doesn’t stop there – it extends to the pre-K through high school.  New Market Skills Center is a central and critical cog of our system – they have continually developed and redeveloped their design of curriculum to ensure its relevance to the concepts of talent, tolerance and technology. 

The following is from Matt Ishler, Executive Director of the New Market Skills Center.  He addresses the role and impact on the economy that they have  upon our region.  Just as important however, is the concept of building a strong and highly innovative student – who is the foundation of our future (not too distant) economy.

• Michael Cade

Our nation, states, and communities consistently have difficult decisions to make. These choices are frequently about where to invest scarce resources, providing benefit to the community and yet at a cost; the opportunity cost of no longer having those resources to invest elsewhere.  

Often, it can be difficult to quantify the impacts of those decisions; the “return on investment” if you will. Yet, we know workforce development plays a critical role in a healthy labor market and economy at large. Our region has a number of entities working to support this effort, such as the Thurston EDC, PacMtn Workforce Development Council, and Thurston County Chamber who often collaborate to fill gaps, meet needs, and otherwise support local business and industry.  

In the K-12 system, Career and Technical Education (CTE) supports these efforts also, by providing a starting point for students. We are, in effect, the roots of workforce development. CTE provides exploratory courses for students still investigating career pathways and preparatory courses for students who have chosen a pathway to pursue. Preparatory courses include employability skills, industry-recognized credentials, and often, post-secondary dual credits. CTE also provides work-based learning opportunities, seeking to create a seamless transition from high school to the student’s next step. Most gratifying as a CTE educator is to know our work helps students to find- and design- their path beyond K-12 education, whether it be post-secondary education/training or direct workforce entry.  

In Thurston County, New Market Skills Center is part of the K-12 system providing high-quality preparatory CTE programs for over 1,000 high school juniors and seniors. We are grateful for active relationships and collaborations with workforce development partners listed above and community partners such as Washington State Employees Credit Union. Their support creates opportunities for students in a variety of ways, including guest speakers, industry field trip locations, and worksite learning placements. These opportunities are the fuel of workforce development and it is not uncommon for local businesses to hire high quality students directly from New Market’s programs. 

While quantifying the impact of investments may be a challenge for many social or government programs, this is not the case in Career and Technical Education. Data strongly supports investments in CTE, and in skills centers specifically. According to a 2021 study conducted by the Center for Economic and Business Research at Western Washington University: 

• Skills Center program graduates earn $14,455 more per year than untrained counterparts, generating $82 million in annual economic activity 

• $1.00 invested in Washington State Skills Centers yields 3.8X return on investment  

• Total Economic Output from Skills Centers was estimated at $176 million based on that ROI of $3.80 for every $1.00 invested 

According to a 2024 study performed by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, skills center students: 

• Maintain higher on-time graduation rates (89%) 

• Are more likely to earn an industry-recognized credential (IRC) while in high school 

• Enroll in more dual credit courses 

• Have higher post-graduation employment rates than non-skills center students 

Helping students identify and prepare for meaningful careers and then connecting them to those opportunities is an exciting mission. The efforts of local workforce development professionals regularly reach into the K-12 system with collaboration and support. Aligning our efforts has a synergistic effect, often in ways we don’t learn about until months or years later when a student returns to share their story of that “life altering moment” and successful career launch.  

There is no shortage of worthy causes today. Resources are scarce while many industries face worker shortages and historically high turnover. It is difficult to overstate the importance of workforce development as part of the economic ecosystem nor the role education must play as the roots of that system. Investing in workforce development at any point in the system yields positive outcomes. However, investing in our youth- in K-12 Career and Technical Education- may bear the most fruit of all.  

About New Market Skills Center 
New Market Skills Center offers 15 unique preparatory CTE programs for high school juniors and seniors. It is hosted by the Tumwater School District and serves a consortium of 12 area school districts in Thurston, Lewis, Mason, and Grays Harbor counties. Its mission is to provide CTE programs its consortium districts would be otherwise unable to provide. For more about NMSC including a list of CTE programs and consortium districts, please visit: www.newmarketskills.org