I reached out to our local legislators to see if they were aware of the tradesman shortage issue in our area and could offer any sort of relief. While Representatives Kretz and Macomber did not respond to my email, Senator Shelly Short’s office was in touch with me within a few short hours to set up a time for a call.
Senator Short said she was well aware of what was going on and was even able to put a positive spin on it: “… I would say this generation of students has a huge opportunity… We have a retiring workforce, and that just presents, I think, really big opportunities.”
She agrees that the challenge is connecting students to those career opportunities. “Anything we can do to continue to engage and build those relationships that give these students an idea of what careers might be available in the area… We need to reduce those barriers to getting those students introduced into these potential job fields,” the senator said.
Another area Senator Short believes is important is, “Soft job skills — showing up on time, being willing to learn… A lot of the skill centers include those indirect skills that become very crucial for a student’s success.”
Senator Short shared “a couple of pieces of legislation that may help — it certainly doesn’t do everything, but I think they’re all kind of what I call pieces of that puzzle.” These bills are: Career Connect Washington legislation — Bill 5327 — this offers grant opportunities where schools can expand career-connected learning; and…
