e-Newsletter

April 2026

Join us for the High School & Beyond Community of Practice in-person coming up Thursday, May 28 from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the new Mount Vernon Library Commons! Learn more and register by Wednesday, May 13 for this Wild West-themed event.   

Guest presenters include:

Our blog offers insight to the event details. This event is offered at no cost to participants (valued at $200) and includes the option to purchase 6.5 clock hours.

We'd love to you see you there! 

Career Connect NW connects industry, education, and community partners to meet career development needs of Northwest Washington’s youth in an equitable and
accessible way. 

We focus on increasing awareness and access to High Wage/High Demand
career opportunities in the 5-county region.

We use data to ensure we are connecting young people to careers in an equitable way, including people who are historically underrepresented in STEM fields, students of color, women, students living in rural areas, and students living in poverty.  

Marysville Pilchuck High School Career & College Readiness Counselor, Andrew Santos, with Marysville School District's Teaching Academy students visiting Western Washington University. 

The Teachers for the People Program is diversifying the education workforce starting with preparing teachers who understand the power of community, identity, and belonging.

Take a look inside the classroom to learn more about how this program puts a spotlight on student voice and recent college campus visits. In addition, the Teachers for the People Program advisory group and design team are 
making progress as the program expands. Check out this article, Teachers for the People Lays the Groundwork for Continued Connection, for more information.   

Is your district interested in bringing Teachers for the People to your students? Reach out to Vanessa Woo (vwoo@nwesd.org).  

The Dual Credit Database helps students find classes that offer CTE Dual Credit and learn more about where they can transfer the credits.  

Career Connect NW is excited to announce that coming this June, students, families, and high school educators will have access to a new resource created by Career Connect NW through the Career & Technical Education (CTE) Dual Credit Proviso: the Regional Dual Credit Database! 

This database outlines each active CTE Dual Credit course articulation available for students in high schools in the Northwest Educational Service District 189 (NWESD) region. Read more about the database, how it works, and the background behind the project. 

CTE Dual Credit offers students the opportunity to take courses at their high school and earn college credits at the the same time free* of charge. (*Some schools charge a small administrative fee up to $50.) 

As part of our CTE Dual Credit Proviso work (2SHB 1273) we are taking a deep dive into how CTE courses function as a pathway from high school to college, including how students experience courses that offer articulated college credit. Futures Research worked with our team to facilitate focus groups with students in our region.

Check out the highlights from the focus group interviews.

Work-Based Learning & Internship Post-Secondary Roundtable participants at the Port of Bellingham, including Dr. Jennifer Noveck, Consultant for the Port of Bellingham, who facilitated a discussion virtually. 

On March 3, educators, workforce leaders, and community partners from across the region gathered at the Port of Bellingham for a Work-Based Learning & Internship Post-Secondary Roundtable. Read more about the plan to expand opportunities for students and strengthen collaboration between education, employers, and workforce systems. 

Christian Garcia Morales from Everett High School attends the Regional Apprenticeship Pathways (RAP) program in Marysville. 

Find out how a student from Everett High School found a career path through the Regional Apprenticeship Pathways (RAP) program.

“I didn’t know I wanted to become a welder until I took this course,” he said. “It helped me explore what I actually enjoy doing.”

Christian’s story inspires students to explore something new and highlights how educators support students in our region.

February 28: CCNW at WE Ignite Conference

Vanessa Woo, Workforce Diversification and Equity Administrator & Teachers for the People program coordinator, at the WE Ignite Conference in Mount Vernon presenting "Honoring What We Carry: Cultural Capital as a Pathway to Connection." 

March 5: Apprenticeship 101's in Snohomish County

Donovan Tate presenting the Apprenticeship 101 Student Seminar at AIM High School through NWESD 189’s Fee-for-Service offerings. Snohomish High School and Glacier Peak also received presentations the same day through a full-day purchase package. To request a Student Seminar presentation, email Donovan Tate at dtate@nwesd.org.

April 1-3: Washington State Indian Education Association Conference 

Career Connect NW team member Vanessa Woo poses under the Washington State Indian Education Association Conference poster. 

April 27-28: Limitless Learning Network Convening

Sinead Fitzpatrick Plagge, Career Connect NW, and Michael Reese, Skagit Valley College, presenting about the CTE Dual Credit Proviso at the Limitless Learning Network Convening April 27.

April 28: Blue Tech by the Bay

Career Connect NW team members Donovan Tate, Mary Powers, and Vanessa Woo at the Blue Tech by the Bay event with Port of Bellingham and 20+ employer and community partners arriving for high school maritime career exploration. 

Looking for Clock Hours?

Image by Shorkolot from Pixabay

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Maritime Workforce Forum: Welding the Future of Shipbuilding & Repair. In-person event at Bellingham Cruise Terminal from 10 am - 2:30 pm. Learn more and register for this event in pdEnroller. Educator Audience: Welding teachers, CTE Directors.

4.50 STEM Clock Hours Available. Lunch included! 

Thursday, May 28, 2026

High School & Beyond (HS&B) Community of Practice. "On the Frontier of Education" Spring Convening. 9 am - 3:30 pm. In-Person event at Mount Vernon Library Commons.

Up to 6.5 Clock Hours available. BBQ lunch Included! 

Tuesday - Thursday: July 14-16, 2026 

Teacher Training Workshop on Forest Management. Sierra Pacific Industries is partnering with several organizations to provide a free field-based training workshop for those who teach grades 6-12. This workshop also offers 15 STEM clock hours, with meals and lodging in Skagit County all included. Learn more about the location, logistics, and registration.  

Career Connect NW created two asynchronous Canvas courses related to helping students with High School & Beyond planning:

Participants can earn STEM or equity clock hours.

Learn more about what participants are saying about the courses and register for these clock-hour offerings! 

If you are having an event and would like us to share it widely, you can enter your event in this form. We review each event and then add them to our "Upcoming Events" webpage tab and the next newsletter. It makes it easier to for people see what's happening in the region and when! 

Thank you for reading our newsletter! To learn more, visit our website: www.nwesd.org/ccnw

Sign up for the Career Connect NW e-newsletter here! 

©Career Connect NW Network. All Rights Reserved. 

Career Connect NW

Northwest Educational Service District 189

1601 R Avenue, Anacortes, WA 98221 US