Template revised April 12, 2018.
COMMISSION
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Item No.
7b
BRIEFING ITEM
Date of Meeting
July 14, 2020
DATE: July 7, 2020
TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director
FROM: Luis Navarro, Director, Workforce Development Programs
SUBJECT: Workforce Development Strategic Plan, 2021-2023
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
At the request of the Port of Seattle Commission special committee on equity and workforce
development, staff in the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (OEDI) has been developing a
three-year Workforce Development Strategic Plan for 2021-2023 (Strategic Plan). The plan
development was guided by the Port’s Century Agenda and key provisions from the Workforce
Development Policy Directive (Policy Directive) adopted in June 2020, and the plan ensures that
the Port’s investments in workforce development and related activities produce outcomes that
support a skilled workforce in Port related industries, and that workforce development programs
create equitable access for all. The plan includes a regional landscape analysis, an in-depth
review of results of investments (ROI) and outcomes in workforce development for 2015-2019,
and finally the proposed investments for 2021-2023.
BACKGROUND
On June 23, 2020, the Port Commission adopted a Policy Directive with the purpose of fulfilling
the Century Agenda strategic objectives of increasing equitable access for workers in port-related
economic activities in maritime, aviation, construction trades, green careers, and other port
related economic industries and activities. The Policy Directive guided the workforce
development efforts of the Port of Seattle to benefit workers, Port customers and tenants, and
port-related economic activities in near port communities in King County and the general area.
The Policy Directive provides guidance in two key provisions:
• Goal 1: Increase Equitable Access to Economic Prosperity. Increase equitable workforce
access for the trades in port-related economic activities, with an emphasis on expanding
opportunities to near-port communities, which are most disproportionately impacted.
Port staff will develop program priorities, actions, benchmarks, and metrics for success.
• Goal 2: Leverage Port Impact and Innovation. Identify and prioritize opportunities for
leadership to influence and promote a sector-based approach to workforce
development centered on equity, diversity and inclusion.
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 7b Page 2 of 10
Meeting Date: July 14, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
ELEMENTS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN
The team reviewed the guiding principles provided by the Port Commission and conducted an in-
depth analysis of past investments and obtained feedback from internal and external
stakeholders to develop strategies, activities, targets and expected outcomes for 2021-2023.
The following are the main priorities of the Workforce Development Strategic Plan:
• Clear strategies and activities associated with each strategy that create opportunities for
workers to acquire the skills, experience, and the education they need to secure
increasingly complex and better compensated jobs and careers
• Provide equitable access to training and career pathways opportunities
• Leverage Port investments by partnering with other public agencies and industry
stakeholders
• Ensure that a qualified team of Port staff and external subject matter experts is available
and supported with the appropriate resources and investments to deliver on the
promise of a more inclusive and equitable workforce pipeline in Port related industries
The following are the elements of the Strategic Plan:
• Results of Port investments (2015-2019)
• COVID-19 community impacts
• Community engagement
• Landscape analysis
• Regional economy and labor market assessment
• Regional workforce development system analysis
• Port sectors strategies
PORT INVESTMENTS
An independent analysis of the Results of Investments (ROI) for 2015-2019 conducted by
consultant Bob Watrus, a workforce development expert hired by the Port to support the Strategic
Plan, shows that positive outcomes were obtained in the various sectors supported by Port
investments. The ROI report is presented in the categories of impact, influence, and leverage.
During this time period, the Port invested $6.5 million in workforce development, and the ROI is
as follows:
• Port Investment, $6,516,090 in workforce development in aviation, maritime,
construction and strategic partnerships in the period 2015-2019.
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 7b Page 3 of 10
Meeting Date: July 14, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
• Impact, $5,640,023 was invested by the Port in workforce development programs in
aviation, construction, maritime, and K-12 career connected learning.
• Influence – $747,702 was invested in strategic partnerships and policy/system change;
this is in addition to Port WFD staff time dedicated to this work. Results included the
creation of the Regional Trades Partnership made up of regional public owners to
develop a pipeline of skilled construction workers to help meet current and future needs
driven by Port and other public infrastructure projects; in addition, the creation of the
Youth Maritime Collaborative made up of 20 youth serving organizations with a focus on
low-income youth and youth of color—maritime career awareness and career
connected learning activities; including middle and high school teacher professional
development and curriculum development tied to port-related sectors, in partnership
with the Washington Alliance for Better Schools.
• Results – The port investments supported 9,824 job placements; 1,442 training
completions; and 1,303 youth participating in experiential learning events. An additional
$128,365 was invested in new program planning and development.
• Leverage – Port investments in WFD resulted in over $10 million in additional public and
private funding which was leveraged to support workforce developments efforts in port-
related sectors. This is a ratio of 1.5 of leveraged Port funds.
COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Support
The Strategic Plan includes specific COVID-19 response efforts targeted to benefit individuals in
the communities most impacted. Each Port sector includes specific strategies and activities, such
as targeted training and access to employment opportunities in Port industries. We continue to
learn about the disruptive impact that COVID-19 has had on the Seattle-King County economy
and labor market with over 300,000 workers in the region filing for unemployment claims in a
nine-week period.
An analysis of these claims from the Seattle metro area, conducted by the Seattle Jobs Initiative,
shows that:
• “Not all industries are equally affected by the COVID-19-driven recession, and within
industries, not all occupations are equally affected.” In port-related industries, UI claims
account for 35 percent of pre-COVID-19 jobs in construction and 22 percent in
transportation and warehousing.
• “The hardest hit occupations are those that are low-paying, where workers are close to
other people, and there is no option of telecommuting.”
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 7b Page 4 of 10
Meeting Date: July 14, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
• “Workers of color, younger workers, and those with lower educational attainment have
both sustained more job losses in the first wave of COVID-19 layoffs and are
overrepresented in the essential workforce.”
Staff in OEDI also conducted a survey in May 2020, and results show the impact COVID-19 is
having on the Port’s community workforce development partners – their ability to carry out
workforce development programs, the demand for services and supports, and how these services
and supports are provided. Survey highlights include:
• Most respondents reported that COVID-19 has had either a significant or severe impact
on their ability to carry out their workforce development programs.
• Most respondents reported having experienced a significant increase in requests for
financial support and unemployment support.
• Respondents reported seeing as the greatest needs right now: emergency assistance
(financial assistance, food assistance, and rental assistance), help accessing services and
support, and jobs.
• Most respondents reported providing services and supports online/virtually (e.g., online
classes, online help with unemployment services, virtual help and telephone one-on-one
assistance with job search and Basic Food Employment and Training, etc.). Here, issues
include digital literacy, internet access, and language barriers.
Based on the feedback from community partners the team proposed the following strategies and
activities in the 2021-2023 Strategic Plan related to COVID-19 response and recovery:
• Establish COVID-19 roundtable(s) with workforce development stakeholders (including
Port aviation, construction, and maritime divisions) to assess the effects of COVID-19 on
communities of color and near port communities. This includes gathering quantitative
and qualitative data on community impacts from partners (e.g., quarterly surveys),
discussing findings, and using findings to guide the Port’s COVID-19 response and
recovery efforts.
• Review labor market data for COVID-19 impacts on aviation, construction trades,
maritime, and green jobs, discuss findings with partners and stakeholders and learn
about direct impacts on communities through the roundtable, and identify gaps to
determine where direct investment would be most impactful.
• Support COVID-19 response and recovery legislation at the federal, state, and local
levels with information on the impact of COVID-19 on the Port and port-related
industries and a special emphasis on relief for disproportionately impacted
communities.
• Make adjustments to the Port’s workforce development programs based on research on
the impact of COVID-19 on aviation, construction trades, maritime, and green jobs as
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 7b Page 5 of 10
Meeting Date: July 14, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
well as survey data and roundtable discussions (e.g., targeting of career pathways;
partners and service providers; services and supports, including wrap-around supports;
communities; and investments).
Community Engagement
During the plan development process, staff had significant engagement with over two-hundred
internal and external workforce development stakeholders including; Port staff, community-
based organizations, and individuals who received services from those organizations, also labor
and industry partners. The feedback informed many of the proposed strategies. Staff in OEDI
continue to meet at regular intervals with stakeholders to ensure that we are providing
transparency and accountability. A community report provided key information that informed
the Strategic Plan. The main themes of the community report include requests for:
• Incorporate outreach. Outreach to historically underrepresented populations and
underserved, disproportionately impacted communities as part of workforce
development strategies and programs (e.g., construction worker outreach, training, and
retention services; and maritime career awareness and access).
• Work with regional partners. Work at both the program and systems levels (e.g.,
planning, developing, and implementing career pathway programs in partnership with
education and training providers, community-based organizations, and industry
partners; collaborating with other regional public owners such as the City of Seattle and
King County to build a skilled construction trades pipeline; etc.).
• Support development of equitable career pathways. Support programs in the port-
related industries of aviation, construction trades, maritime, and green jobs.
• Engage industry partners. Work and collaborate with industry in planning, developing,
and implementing career pathway programs, including upskill/backfill.
• Build wrap-around services. Ensure that wrap around services are built into the Port’s
WFD contracts with community partners to increase retention and completion.
• Promote creation of a regional fund. Support a regional fund for wrap-around services
and other essential services and supports.
• Review Port policies and recommend changes. Ensure that policies address issues and
concerns raised by community partners regarding procurement and contracting and
establish a feedback loop system to get their input on an ongoing basis.
• Evaluate and share results. Share results and outcomes of workforce development
contracts, as part of transparency and continuous improvement.
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 7b Page 6 of 10
Meeting Date: July 14, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
Aviation
28%
Construction
52%
Maritime
17%
Government
3%
178 PARTICIPANTS
The following is a graphical representation of the community sessions:
(table 1)
Landscape Analysis
The 2021-2023 Strategic Plan considers an assessment of the regional economy and labor
market, with a focus on port-related industries and occupations; input from the community; an
analysis of the regional workforce development system; and COVID-19 impact and
response/recovery.
Regional Economy and Labor Market Assessment
COVID-19 has had a major, disruptive impact on the regional economy and labor market. One
indicator: unemployment insurance (UI) claims. In a nine-week period, there were over 300,000
UI claims in King County. Impacted jobs included tens of thousands of workers in port-related
industries and occupations, and it is unclear how long it will take for the economy to recover.
It is important to keep in mind that Port-related industries and occupations will remain a good
source of quality, family wage jobs and, therefore, they are a target of opportunity for workforce
development efforts. For example, almost two thirds of all construction jobs in Seattle-King
County paid $30 an hour or more in 2018, as shown in the chart below (table 2). This compares
to 55 percent of jobs across all sectors. For aviation, the figure was 53 percent and maritime, 52
percent.
Participants (n=178)
Participants Include staff from
community-based organizations
and their clients who received
services.
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 7b Page 7 of 10
Meeting Date: July 14, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
Port-related industries and occupations will remain
a good source of quality, family wage jobs
(table 2)
Source: Washington Employment Security Department, 2020
Note: Aviation includes NAICS codes 4811 and 4881, Construction NAICS code 23, and Maritime NAICS codes 112511,
112512, 114111, 114112, 311710, 336611, 336612, 424460, 441222, 483111, 483112, 483113, 483114, 483211, 483212,
487210,488210, 488310, 488320, 488330, 488390, 488510, 493120, and 713930
PORT SECTOR STRATEGIES
The Strategic Plan continues the Port sector approach, and it was developed following three
overarching strategies embedded in the Policy Directive:
1. Ensuring impactful Port investments in high-demand careers
2. Focused on near-Port communities
3. Ensuring access to training and opportunities to historically underrepresented
populations, people of color and women
Below is an overview of the elements within each sector of the Strategic Plan.
1. Aviation Sector Strategy
The aviation strategy creates access to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
employment opportunities for job seekers and develops career pathways for entry workers
at the airport. It provides direct support to SEA (passenger air, air cargo, and connected
subsectors such as logistics, maintenance, restaurant/hospitality, and retail) through
activities including, but not limited to recruitment, retention support, education and training,
and three aviation career pathway programs.
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
<$12 $12-$18 $18-$24 $24-$30 $30-$36 $36-$42 $42-$48 $48-$54 $54+
Seattle-King County Jobs by Industry and Wage Category, 2018
Total Aviation Construction Maritime
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 7b Page 8 of 10
Meeting Date: July 14, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
The following are the proposed elements of the aviation strategy for 2021-2023:
• Continue funding the Airport Employment Center
• Support Airport University following the Federal Aviation Administration guidelines
• Support expansion of aviation career pathways for a total of three pathways
2. Construction Trades Strategy
The construction trades strategy continues to support the creation of a regional pipeline of
skilled construction workers. The Port, as a major developer, relies on the availability of such
workers. It also addresses the low participation and completion rates for people of color and
women in the construction trades, and addresses gaps in the existing pipeline (e.g., lack of
alignment with demand; a siloed approach to planning and implementation, funding, and
evaluation; lack of coordination and limited capacity in terms of pre-apprenticeship training
programs; etc.).
The following are the proposed elements of the construction trades strategy for 2021-2023:
• Strengthen regional partnerships with public owners
• Fully implement the Port’s priority hire program
• Identify apprenticeship opportunities within the Port trades
• Continue to invest in construction worker outreach, training, and retention services
• Fully implement and enforce the Port’s acceptable worksite standards
• Regular feedback from the construction industry stakeholders and the Port construction
teams to support the availability of high need trades.
3. Maritime Sector Strategy
The maritime strategy focuses on increasing recruitment and retention, especially among
youth who are not entering the industry; and developing maritime career pathways.
The following are the proposed elements of the maritime strategy for 2021-2023:
• Create awareness of and access to maritime careers
• Advocate for regional maritime workforce development efforts
• Develop maritime career pathway programs for youth and adults
• Support the establishment of a regional maritime industry table
• Continue to support efforts to introduce maritime into the K-12 education system
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 7b Page 9 of 10
Meeting Date: July 14, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
4. Green Career/Green Jobs Sector Strategy
The green careers strategy supports the environmental and workforce developments
priorities of the Century Agenda. Strategies include:
• Support the Port’s Duwamish Valley community equity program
• Collaborate with the Diversity in Contracting team to support women and people of
color interested in starting small businesses in habitat restoration and related work
• Develop a green jobs career pathway program
5. Youth Employment and Career Connected Learning (CCL)
The CCL and youth strategies objectives include strong partnerships with internal
stakeholders like Human Resources and the Port maintenance departments to develop
opportunities for youth at the Port. Strategies include:
• Work with HR to align Port internships with regional workforce needs
• Partner with HR as a thought partner in the development of Career and Technical
Education related curricula
• Create more opportunities for Launch programming aligned with CCL pipeline programs
• Coordinate with partner organizations to place Port youth interns into their
organizations
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The proposed investment for 2021-2023 is $11.7 million, and it includes the staffing and
administration costs and the proposed investments by sector (maritime, aviation, construction
trades, and green careers). Each strategy and activity in each sector have been priced
accordingly.
Sector
Total
Maritime Sector
$ 1,538,250
Aviation Sector
$ 5,178,244
Construction Trades
$ 2,237,800
Green Careers/Jobs
$ 200,000
Career Connected Learning
$ 375,000
Technical Ed/Youth Emp.
$ 140,000
Staffing and Administration
$ 2,029,476
Total
$11,698,770
Staffing
The Strategic Plan also includes the addition of human resources to ensure that the strategies
and activities are managed as planned. The expanded team will be composed of a department
director, program managers, data analyst and external subject matter experts who will manage
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 7b Page 10 of 10
Meeting Date: July 14, 2020
Template revised September 22, 2016.
the implementation of the various strategies including; systems change, policy
recommendations, market research, data collection and analytics, and communications related
to workforce development.
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING
(1) Presentation
(2) Workforce Development Strategic Plan
(3) Results of Investments analysis
(4) Community feedback report
(5) Workforce Development Policy Directive
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS
(1) June 2020 – Commission adopted the Workforce Development Policy Directive
(2) February 2020 – Commission approved charter for the Equity and Workforce
Development Committee
(3) July 2014 – The Commission approved a Motion of the Port of Seattle Increasing
Workforce Development and Career Opportunities Activities
