For the first time, a powerful team of leading foundations, local governments, businesses, educators and other groups are working together to help employers and underemployed people meet their needs  so the economy can thrive.

Rather than competing for resources and credibility, stakeholders are tapping into the power of connection – working together in a way that reflects the deeply interdependent nature of success:

A better future depends on a strong economy,
which depends on a highly-trained workforce,
which depends on effective training,
which depends on individuals ready to learn and able to get to the place where training is offered.

Most of all, SkillUp is about taking action.  Its goal in the next five years is to double the number of graduates from postsecondary education programs in King County.  The 92,000 people living in King County with no postsecondary education credential and household incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level are our target.

Already, prominent state and national foundations have invested in a series of demonstration projects by community colleges, with the ambitious goal of retooling job training to meet the needs of working adults.

Progress on SkillUp efforts is updated here.  Just click to view our Primary Goals, our Strategies, or our Action Plan.

Last, but not least, SkillUp is about benefiting all of us by challenging each of us to take part. Feel free to email us with questions or comments on any information listed on our web site.

The SkillUp Washington Team:

Susan Crane, Executive Director

Danielle Sewell, Program Coordinator

Jenna Cass, Administrative Assistant