U.S. Senator Patty Murray will tour the Pacific Fisherman Shipyard tomorrow and discuss efforts to give local workers the skills needed to fill local jobs. Murray will discuss her Career Pathways legislation which seeks to help young people leaving high school get skills training, as well as the Workforce Investment Act which the Senate is expected to consider shortly and is critical to retraining workers, including those who have recently been laid off.
According to a recent report released recently by the Washington State Employment Security Department, statewide job openings were up 31% last fall compared to a year earlier and there are an estimated 41,889 vacant positions. According to the same report, 46 percent of those jobs or an estimated 19,366 open jobs are located in the Seattle-King County area. However, often employers can’t find local workers with the skills needed to fill those jobs – something Senator Murray is working to remedy.
The Shipyard tour will be a first-hand look at a successful Career Pathway programs that helps equip students with the skills and experience they need to land open jobs in the future.
The tour starts at 10:30 a.m. after which Murray will hold a press conference.
Pacific Fishermen Shipyard is located at 5351 24th Ave N.W.