Career Connected Learning

Career Connect Washington Northwest Region hosted at the NWESD189 serves 35 school districts, which includes 440+ schools and 165K students in Skagit, Whatcom, Snohomish, San Juan, and Island counties. One of our main goals is to create programs that make it easier for businesses and schools to connect. By facilitating strong partnerships between our schools and businesses, we can help students explore different career pathways and increase their readiness to enter high wage, high demand careers in our communities.

Our work is data-informed and strategically focused on building equitable student access, increasing system capacity, and positive outcomes for students.

Connecting Students and Employers

For School Districts

Services Available!

Request a Service

Request an Industry Guest Speaker

Go on a Field Trip – Worksite Tour

Request a STEM Like ME!® Event

For Employers

Get Involved!

Be a Guest Speaker at a School (Grades 7-12)

Host a Field Trip/Tour at Your Worksite

Be an Employer/Presenter at STEM Like ME!®

For Community Partners

Let's Meet!

MEETING REQUEST

Let’s meet so we can:

Maximize Our Resources

Partner on Career-Related Events

Collaborate Across the Region

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events, Worksite Tours, & Industry Guest Speakers:

04/30/2025: Modern Manufacturing Teacher Tours with PACCAR Training Center & Hexcel

05/02/2025: 44th Annual Women in Trades Fair, Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center. All schools are welcome to attend. Register for this free event.

05/07/2025: Blue Tech by the Bay, Maritime Trades Career Exploration Event, Fishermen’s Pavilion in Bellingham

05/22/2025: AGC Washington’s Construction Trades Career Exploration Event, Lynden Fairgrounds. Register with AGC.

Date TBD: Lakewood High School, STEM Guest Speakers

Past Events List

Past Events:

03/27/2025: Coupeville Middle School, 8th Graders, Aspen Power Catamarans (Maritime/Boat Building)

04/01/2025: ECHO Tour – Healthcare Careers, Skagit Valley College (High Schools in Region)

04/02/2025: ECHO Tour – Healthcare Careers, Whatcom Community College (High Schools in Region)

04/03/2025: ECHO Tour – Healthcare Careers, Whatcom Community College (High Schools in Region)

02/18/2025: Career Guest Presenters in Advanced Manufacturing: PACCAR Training Center, Mount Vernon High School

02/21/2025: Agricultural Career Day, Mock Interview. Schools from Skagit/Whatcom Counties, Lynden Fairgrounds.

02/28/2025: Guest Presenter in Advanced Manufacturing: Goodwinds Composites, Mount Vernon High School

02/12/2025: Career Day: Adulting 101 at Anacortes High School.

01/30/2025: Conway Middle School, STEM Like ME!® Event (7th & 8th Grades)

11/20/2024: Advanced Modern Manufacturing Careers: Orcas Island High School Tours Sierra Pacific Industries.

11/21/2024: Nooksack Valley Middle School (7 & 8 Grades), STEM Like ME!® Event.

12/05/2024: STEM Like ME!® Event, Lucille Umbarger Middle School, 8th Grade, Burlington-Edison School District.

11/14/2024: Centennial Middle School, STEM Like ME!® Event in partnership with Snohomish STEM.

10/02/2024: ECHO Tour Volunteer Orientation (Virtual).

10/03/2024: Event for Employers: Demystifying Minor Work Permits & Internships Workshop at NCTA’s Mount Vernon location. RSVP Today!

10/11/2024: ECHO Tour – Healthcare careers, Edmonds College. Schools in Snohomish County.

10/17/2024: Snohomish High School, STEM Like ME!® Event in partnership with Snohomish STEM.

10/21 – 10/24/2024: WAVE Tour, Apprenticeship careers, Skagit County Fairgrounds.

05/07/2024: Concrete High School – Career Exploration Day!

06/06/2024: SILFAB Solar Talks about Robotics & Dancing Ladies! Port Susan Middle School, Stanwood.

06/12/2024: STEM Like ME! Explorer Middle School, Everett.

06/27/2024: STEM Like ME! for Teachers – PD Opportunity – Teaching & Learning in a Changing World – (Breakout Session), NWESD 189

05/24/2024: Maritime Careers with the Northwest Maritime Apprenticeship Program, Cap Sante High School, 9th – 12th grade, PM classes.

05/30/2024: STEM Like ME! Marysville Pilchuck High School.

4/09/2024: STEM Like ME! Meridian Middle School, 7th & 8th grades.

04/17/2024: Healthcare Careers with Midwife Kelly, Cap Sante High School, 9th – 12th grades, AM classes.

04/26/2024: Build Your Confidence: Resume & Interview Tips, Lynden High School.

02/07/2024: Learn to Love Your Resume Workshop. Cap Sante High School, 9th – 12th grade AM classes.

02/14/2024: “Find Your Match” Career Exploration Event, 9th Graders, Anacortes High School. Participating employers: PACCAR Training Center, La Conner Maritime, City of Anacortes Public Works, PeaceHealth, NWESD 189 Information Technologies – Charell Williams, Electrician Trades/Apprenticeships.

02/14/2024: Adulting 101 for High School Seniors, 12th Graders, Anacortes High School.

02/16/2024: Rocket Resume Workshop, 11th & 12th grades, Scriber High School (Edmonds School District).

02/21/2024: Medical Assisting and Healthcare Careers, Skagit Regional Health, Cap Sante High School (AM Class).

02/21/2024: 911 Dispatcher Careers, Skagit, 911, Cap Sante High School (PM Class).

02/21/2024: Maritime Careers with Captain Brian Vick. Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Island County, Coupeville Middle & High School DINO group.

02/22/2024: STEM Like ME! Marysville Getchell High School, Snohomish County.

02/2024: Date to be Determined: Marysville STEM Like ME! Event – Middle School

02/28/2024: Learn to Love Your Resume Workshop. Cap Sante High School, 9th – 12th grade PM classes.

02/29/2024: Presenting at STEM to Seed Community Launch Program – Outdoor STEM School, Educator Event.

03/2024: First week of March – STEM Like ME! Cedarcrest Middle School, Marysville, Snohomish County.

03/18/2024 – 03/20/2024: ECHO Healthcare Careers Tour: Snohomish County, specific schools.

03/20/2024: Women in STEM Careers with Gracie, Cap Sante High School, 9th – 12th grade, PM classes.

12/12/2023: Dress for Success, Career Workshop (collaboration with WWU Career Closet), Options High School.

12/13/2023: Emergency Medical Tech, Critical Transport Careers, NW Ambulance, Cap Sante High School.

11/21/2023: Learn to Love Your Resume Presentation, 11th Graders, Anacortes High School.

11/27/2023: Bellingham Technical College Presents, Corah Castellano, Anacortes High School – College Prep Class.

11/28/2023: First IMPRESSions, Career Workshop, Options High School.

11/29/2023: Orcas Island High School, Worksite “Marine Trades” Tour at Aspen Power Catamarans in Burlington.

12/4/2023: Skagit Valley College Presents, Anacortes High School – College Prep Class.

12/5/2023: Interviewing 101, Career Workshop, Options High School.

11/6/2023: Whatcom Community College, Nubia Robles Presents, Anacortes High School – College Prep Class.

11/7/2023: PACCAR Training Center Presents, Engineering, Ari Metzger, Anacortes High School – College Prep Class.

11/13/2023: Padilla Bay Interpretive Center, Marine Science Careers, Chandler Colahan, Women in STEM – Anacortes High School, College Prep Class.

11/14/2023: STEM Like ME!®, Centennial Middle School 7th Grade Class. (Employers & Organizations: Zap Energy, NW Ambulance, Sno-Isle Skills Center, Snohomish County Public Works, Harmsen, LLC.

11/15/2023: IT & Cybersecurity, Skagit Regional Health, Cap Sante High School.

10/17/2023: Process Engineer, Marathon Petroleum Corp, Victoria Henry, Women in STEM, Anacortes High School – College Prep Class.

10/18/2023: Career Theories Workshop, Cap Sante High School – 10, 11, 12th grades

10/19/2023: ZAP Energy, Women in Engineering, Guest Speaker Training Session.

10/23/2023 – 10/26/2023: Washington Apprenticeship Vocational Education (WAVE) Tour at NWCI in Burlington. Hands-on career exploration for high schoolers with different union-based trades. By invitation only; RSVP required. 400 students attended from 5 counties in NW region.

08/09/23: Workforce Wednesdays, Boys & Girls Clubs Worksite Tour – Northwest Carpenter’s Institute in Burlington to learn about building trades careers.

08/16/23: Workforce Wednesdays, Boys & Girls Clubs Worksite Tour, “Healthcare Careers hosted by Whatcom Community College”

07/26/23 & 08/25/23: PeaceHealth’s Summer “Healthcare Job Shadowing Opportunities” in Bellingham (Only for Whatcom county high schoolers age 16+)

07/12/23: Workforce Wednesdays, Boys & Girls Clubs from Whatcom County tours Dakota Creek Industries to learn about ship building careers.

07/26/23: Workforce Wednesdays, Boys & Girls Clubs with James Walsh, “Careers in Aviation!”

7/10/23 – 7/14/23: Whatcom Community College GenCyber Camp for Middle School & High Schoolers – FREE!

05/30/2023: Women in STEM, Guest Speaker Andrea Frost from Dell Technologies, Mount Vernon High School

05/24/2023: STEM Like Me!^SM Career Day with IRG Physical Therapy and Snohomish County Public Works, Centennial Middle School

05/19/2023: Two Worksite Tours: Dakota Creek Industries & Sierra Pacific Industries, Mount Vernon High School

05/18/2023: Learn to Love Your Resume Workshop, Mountlake Terrace High School

05/17/2023: STEM Like Me!^SM Career Day with Cloud Mountain Farm and Innotech, Lummi Nation School

05/01/2023: Learn to Love the Job Fair Video, Bellingham High Schools

05/11/2023: How To Support Your High Schooler’s Job Search, Job & Career Fair, Bellingham High Schools

04/21/2023 – 04/25/2023: Washington Apprenticeship Vocational Education (WAVE Tour) for hands-on experiences in the construction trades at the NW Carpenter’s Institute in Burlington

04/14/2023: Women in STEM Andrea Frost and Gracie Ermi, STEM is for Everyone, Anacortes High School & Anacortes Robotics Club

03/22/2023: Best Job Search Ever Workshop for Seniors, Cap Sante High School

03/29/2023 Best Job Search Ever Workshop for Juniors, Cap Sante High School

03/28/2023: Apprenticeship 101: What You Need to Know About the Pipe Trades, Lummi Nation School

03/28/2023: Internship/Apprenticeship Panel: Career Options for You, Lopez Island Middle & High School

03/28/2023: STEM Careers, Industry Professional Speaker Charell Williams, Oak Harbor Exceptional Academy

02/07/2023: Career Day at Conway Middle School with guest speakers from PACCAR, Sound Experience, Innotech, and Cascadia Eye

Career Connect Resources

Career Interest Inventories & Career Maps

Free Career Interest Inventories

My Next Move – Browse careers by industry & take an Interest Profiler assessment
Career One Stop – GetMyFuture for young adults
Washington Career Bridge – Career Quiz
O*NET – Research industries and take free career assessments
O*NET – Spanish Language website

Career Maps

These visual Career Maps created by the Workforce Development Council feature high-wage, high-demand careers, including possible job titles and wage ranges for the greater Seattle-King County region.

Career Exploration Videos

Videos To Share with Students

Watch Career Connect NW Career Spotlight Videos and share them with students! These short videos on CCNW’s YouTube channel feature local employer and organization partners sharing insights on high-wage, high-demand career paths in our region in Healthcare, Modern Manufacturing, Digital Technology, Maritime/Marine, STEM, and Construction Apprenticeship Trades. 5-8 minutes per video.

Working in Washington State: A Documentary. Created by students at Voyager Middle School in Snohomish County who interview people working at Washington State Ferries, in Healthcare, at Microsoft as Software Engineers, at Boeing as Production Engineers, and several other careers. 36 minutes.

Washington Apprenticeship Vocational Education Tour showcasing high-wage, high demand jobs/apprenticeships in the construction trades: Plumbers/Pipefitters, Carpenters, Electricians, Laborers, Sheet Metal, and more. 2 minutes.

See Yourself in Me: A Spotlight on Women in STEM. Features students from Sedro-Woolley, Mount Vernon, La Conner, and Concrete High Schools and employers in this region with a focus on high-demand, high-wage STEM careers. 34 minutes.

WSDOT’s “High School to Highways” Program – A recent hire shares his story. 2 minutes

Prepare students to attend a Job or Career Fair with this short video. 8 minutes.

Video Library:

Robotics: Virtual Tour of Amazon's Fulfillment Center + Meet the Employees

Virtual Amazon Tour

Take your students on a virtual tour of Amazon to learn more about careers in Technology.

How it Works:

This virtual tour, created to be used by teachers in the classroom, is a free resource from Amazon’s Future Engineer program.

You can show it in two 30-minute sessions over two class periods. It features the tour, trivia using Kahoot to keep students engaged, and also introduces students to four employees at Amazon in computer science and robotics who talk about how they decided on their career path.

You get to select a Data Center Tour, a Robotics Tour, or an Alexa in Space Tour!

Apprenticeship/Trades Resources for the Classroom

Apprenticeship Construction Trades Resources

Play a video for your students showcasing trades from our region at the WAVE Tour, which promotes high-wage, high demand jobs.
Share the Apprenticeship 101 presentation (Apprenticeship 101 ) with your students, created by L&I and includes a list of contacts at the end.
Apprenticeships – Why Apprenticeship? Video and list of Washington state apprenticeship programs
Provide your students a link to Futures Northwest’s comprehensive Apprenticeship Resource page. The page includes videos for high school students on the trades, including local opportunities and contacts.

CCNW Canvas Courses for Clock Hours

Resume 101 Workshop – Canvas Course (asynchronous)

Career Connect NW created a Canvas course, Guiding High School Students: Resume 101 Workshop, to prepare advisors, educators, counselors, and teachers to help students build a modern resume. This asynchronous Canvas course offered through pdEnroller is a resource for anyone helping students with resumes, and includes resume templates for students, slides to use in the classroom, and up-to-date information on how technology such as AI and Applicant Tracking Systems impact resume writing. The registration fee to take the course is $55. There is also an option to earn 5 STEM Clock Hours after completing the course for an additional charge.

Participants enroll in the course and use the “grab & go” resources in the modules as often as needed. The resources are customized for schools using Microsoft platforms as well as Google platforms.

OSPI’s High School & Beyond Plan requires students to build a resume or an activity log by the end of 12th grade. OSPI purchased SchoolLinks, Inc. for the Universal Online HSBP Platform and it will include a resume builder. The Resume 101 Workshop is an optional resource to use until the HSBP Platform is implemented, which will begin in Fall 2025.

Healthcare Careers Overview – Canvas Course (asynchronous)

Exploring Healthcare Careers: Student Pathways Canvas course helps helps educators, paraeducators, counselors, teachers, and advisors in 7-12 grades (middle/high school) gain awareness around career paths to better support students interested in pursuing healthcare careers. Participants will work at their own pace on Canvas to explore high wage, high demand healthcare career options, including the education needed to access these careers. Participants will gain insight on emerging healthcare careers, with a focus on equity, and discover how ever-evolving technology is changing healthcare career options for future healthcare workers. The registration fee is $25. Course completion offers an opportunity to purchase 2 clock hours in Equity or STEM.

High School and Beyond Planning

OSPI’s High School & Beyond Planning Resources

Career Connect NW holds Community of Practice convenings several times per year in person and virtually to share important information about the High School & Beyond Plan. Sign up for our e-newsletter to find out dates and get invites to register for these free events.

What is the High School & Beyond Plan?

Program Builder Grants: Career Connect NW

Program Builder Grants – Assistance

The Career Connect Washington NW Regional Network offers technical assistance to businesses, community organizations and educational partners in the application process. If you are considering applying for a CCW Program Builder Grant, contact Career Connect Washington NW Regional leads Jenny Veltri, jveltri@nwesd.org, Alyssa Jackson, alyssaj@snohomishstem.org, and Sinead Fitzpatrick Plagge, splagge@nwesd.org.

Our Employer Partners

Career Connected Learning Partners!

We value all our industry and business partners who help us create meaningful career-exploration experiences for students and educators in our region. If you are interested in partnering with us, we’d love to collaborate! We focus on high-wage, high-demand career opportunities in STEM-related fields, including the following industries: Maritime, Construction Apprenticeships, Healthcare, Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Clean Tech, Life Science, Aviation, and Advanced Modern Manufacturing.

We partner with more than 50+ local employers in our region, and we welcome more businesses who want to get involved in shaping the education to workforce pipeline!

Northwest Maritime Apprenticeship logo with a boat anchor Dakota Creek Industries logo in blue with compass

Aspen Power Catamarans logo in blue with waves

Career Connect Washington

Career Connect Washington: Who We Are

We are industry, labor, education, and community leaders who are creating work-based and academic programs for young people to explore, learn, and earn money and college-level credit. We believe all students in Washington deserve a future of purpose and prosperity— and the support necessary to achieve it. That’s why we’re creating opportunities that launch every Washington student into a career.