Wanted: Workers with college degrees

Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney is one of the leading lawmakers keeping Washington ahead of the curve when it comes to helping more people tap into a post-secondary education, starting with access to our community and technical colleges.

This is a tough calling when the growing demand for college degrees is accompanied by declining state support for colleges and universities. But it's a demand we can't afford to ignore.

"America is slowly coming out of the Recession of 2007 — only to find itself on a collision course with the future: not enough Americans are completing college... By 2018, we will need 22 million new workers with college degrees—but will fall short of that number by at least 3 million postsecondary degrees."

That's according to a new report from Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce.

According to the report, by 2018 the number of new jobs in Washington state requiring postsecondary education and training will grow by 259,000. That's far more than the 107,000 new jobs that will be available for high school graduates and dropouts. Overall, 67 percent of Washington's jobs will require some level of post-high school education.

Rep. Kenney doesn't just talk about getting more people into college, she continuously pushes the doors wider. That's why the state’s community and technical college trustees recently awarded her their 2010 Outstanding Advocate for Equity Award.

They cited Rep. Kenney's sponsorship of the Opportunity Grant program in 2006 which provides millions of dollars for low-income adults wanting to gain new skills or retrain at a community college. She has worked tirelessly to secure resources for Seattle’s community colleges to expand programs for low-income students and increase access to high-demand programs such as engineering.

Rep. Kenney also helped create a ground-breaking new Certified Nursing Assistant program for Spanish-speaking students at South Seattle Community College, a partnership program with Swedish Hospital, the University of Washington and Sea-Mar. The nursing program has since become a nationally recognized model known as I-BEST (Integrated Basic Skills and Education Training) and has been mentioned by President Obama during speeches on education.

It's these kinds of innovations and programs that will bolster Washington's ability to keep our workers well-trained and our employers well-supported.