Career Connect NW regional network serves Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom communities
Career Connect NW (CCNW) is hosted at the Northwest Educational Service District 189 (NWESD) and collaborates with regional workforce, industry, and educational organizations. By working together, CCNW is a catalyst for industry, education, and community partners to collectively meet the career development needs of Northwest Washington’s youth in an equitable and accessible way.
NWESD 189 serves 35 school districts and 1 tribal compact school, which includes 440+ schools and 165K students in the region.
Our Goals
Career Connect NW has three goals:
- Catalyze Regional Stakeholder Partnerships, Collaborations, and Strategies
- Increase Equity and Access to High Wage/High Demand Career Opportunities
- Support Coherent Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness
Our Team
Jenny Veltri
Director
Sinead Fitzpatrick Plagge
Career Connect NW Administrator
Donovan Tate
Career Connected Learning Specialist
Mary Powers
Career Connected Learning Specialist
Vanessa Woo
Workforce Diversification and Equity Administrator
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Our 2025-2027 Priorities:
Career Connect NW (CCNW) is collaborating with partners to develop and support the following priorities based on funded work over the next two years:
1. CTE Dual Credit Alignment in collaboration with regional community college and K-12 partners
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CTE Dual Credit Expansion Proviso
- About: In partnership with the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), CCNW hosted at the NWESD 189 is leading a regional pilot to expand access to Career and Technical Education (CTE) dual credit for high school students. Funded through 2SHB 1273, this pilot aims to make it easier for students to earn college credit in high school by improving how CTE courses are aligned, articulated, and transcribed across K–12 and community college systems.
- Partners: State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), Career Connect NW hosted at Northwest Educational Service District 189 (NWESD 189), Everett Community College (EvCC), Skagit Valley College (SVC), Bellingham Technical College (BTC), and Whatcom Community College (WCC).
- Read more about the CTE Dual Credit Proviso project.
2. Communities of Practice: Educator Professional Development in Priority Sector Knowledge and Workforce System Support
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High School & Beyond Community of Practice
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- About: The HS&B Community of Practice convenes several times during the school year virtually and in-person to learn about components of the High School and Beyond Plan, including guest speakers, workshops, and insights to high school graduation requirements. Everyone is welcome to register and attend, including school district leaders, educators, staff, community partners, and business partners! NWESD 189 often offers clock hours for participation.
- Find upcoming dates and read more about the HS&B Community of Practice.
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Industry-Related Curriculum Communities of Practice
- About: These Curriculum Community of Practices have been formed to work towards aligning the high school to post secondary to workforce pipeline within specific career sectors. The groups include CTE, teachers, directors, educators from K-12 and post-secondary, counselors, and industry partners all coming together.
- Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering
- Cybersecurity
- MAC Welding (Maritime, Agriculture, Construction)
- Read more about the Industry-Related Curriculum Communities of Practice.
- About: These Curriculum Community of Practices have been formed to work towards aligning the high school to post secondary to workforce pipeline within specific career sectors. The groups include CTE, teachers, directors, educators from K-12 and post-secondary, counselors, and industry partners all coming together.
3. Partnerships: Collaboration and initiative alignment with leadership in workforce, industry, K12, post secondary, government, and community organizations
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NW Education & Workforce Coalition
- About: Leaders from education and workforce development across the NW Workforce Council’s region of Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom counties joined forces to create a more connected and responsive system to serve students and communities. This work commenced with a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the regional partners February 2025 with work to be completed by the end of June 2027.
- Partners: Bellingham Technical College (BTC), Career Connect NW (CCNW) hosted at the Northwest Educational Service District 189 (NWESD), Northwest Indian College (NWIC), Northwest Workforce Council (NWC), Skagit Valley College (SVC), Western Washington University (WWU), and Whatcom Community College (WCC)
- Read more about the NW Education & Workforce Coalition.
- Educator Pathways Access – Teachers for the People Program
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- About: Grounded in deep partnerships with Tribal Nations, school districts, college partners, and community organizations, efforts are underway to increase the number of diverse, justice-oriented teachers in our region. Leveraging the LEADER Initiative and Career Connect Washington Program Builder, the Teachers for the People Program (TPP) aims to increase community representation in our regional educator workforce.
- Partners: Bellingham School District, College Spark Washington, Foundation for Academic Endeavors, Marysville School District, Mount Vernon School District, Northwest Career & Technical Academy, Samish Indian Nation, Skagit Valley College Maestros Para El Pueblo, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Tulalip Tribal Community, and Western Washington University.
- Read more about the Teachers for the People Program.
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WAVE Tour: Washington Apprenticeship Vocational Education Construction Trades Event
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- About: Hands-on construction trades career exploration event at the Skagit County Fairgrounds October 21-23, 2025. Funded by HF Sinclair.
- Read more about the WAVE Tour.
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CCNW & Regional Events
This lists upcoming career-connected learning events planned in the region. We do our best to keep the calendar updated, however things change and people may forget to tell us, so make sure you check with the organization or school that posted the event if you have any questions.
Interested in having your event added to the Regional Events Calendar? Fill out this short form.
Upcoming Events List:
01/5/2026 – 1/29/2026: SchooLinks Customer Service Success Team’s Virtual “live” High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) Universal Platform Training Sessions. Register through OSPI.
02/07/2026: SkillsUSA Regional Competition at Northwest Career & Technical Academy (NCTA) in Mount Vernon. Want to be a Mock Job Interview Judge? Email Mary Powers at mpowers@nwesd.org for more information.
02/19/2026: High School & Beyond Plan Community of Practice Virtual Convening: Strengthening Family Engagement. Learn more and register through pdEnroller.
04/28/2026: Blue Tech By the Bay at Fisherman’s Pavilion, Maritime Career Exploration for High Schoolers. Port of Bellingham event. To RSVP, contact Donovan Tate (dtate@nwesd.org)
05/28/2026: High School & Beyond Plan Community of Practice In-Person Convening. (Registration link coming soon!)
Click on the black cross box above to see the Past Events List from 2022-2025.
Career Connect NW Offers Canvas Courses for Clock Hours
Educators, counselors, and advisors are asked every day to guide students toward meaningful futures when helping them with their High School & Beyond Plans — often without the time [...]
Apprenticeship 101 Sessions come to Skagit County high schools
Donovan Tate presenting at Anacortes High School on Sept. 29, 2025. Photo credit: Molly Huggins This fall, Skagit County high school students received an opportunity to learn [...]
The WAVE Tour Sweeps over the NW Region
High school students built scaffolding, created load-bearing boats out of tin foil, tied nautical knots, and learned about power lines – only a few of the many hands-on activities [...]
High School & Beyond Community of Practice Sparks Ideas, Energy, and Connection
On Nov. 5 (National Donut Day!), Career Connect NW hosted at the NWESD 189 brought together close to 90 educators, counselors, district leaders, community partners, and postsecondary representation from [...]
Teachers for the People: Lessons Launch Successfully
At the Northwest Educational Service District (NWESD) 189, we believe that diversifying the education workforce starts with preparing teachers who understand the power of community, identity, and belonging. The [...]
Highlights from the NW Education & Workforce Coalition Fall Convening
Photo Credit: Andrew Silverman, Port of Bellingham, Community Outreach Specialist On Oct. 9, leaders from education and workforce development across the Northwest Workforce Council’s region of Island, [...]
e-Newsletter Archive
OSPI’s High School & Beyond Plan
What is the High School & Beyond Plan?
HSBP Community of Practice Convenings
Career Connect NW holds High School & Beyond Community of Practice convenings for educators and community partners several times per year in person and virtually to share important information about OSPI’s High School & Beyond Plan. Sign up for our e-newsletter to find out dates and get invites to register for these free events! You can also check our Events Calendar tab to see upcoming dates.
Universal Online HSBP Platform: SchooLinks
OSPI purchased SchooLinks, Inc. for the Universal Online HSBP Platform in May 2024. This platform is being implemented into schools in the NWESD 189 region over the next two years. The platform includes a Resume Builder, Career Interest Inventories, and more! It will help all schools in Washington state be consistent in compliance with the HSBP once it’s implemented.
Watch these Training Videos to learn more and get familiar with the new platform!
Video from OSPI:
Kim Reykdal shares information about why SchooLinks was selected as the Universal Platform for the HSBP. Time: 1 minute, 42 seconds
Training Videos From SchooLinks HSBP Customer Success Team:
Kick Off Session Video:
- SchooLinks Kickoff Session
- Passcode: n*08^XSZ
- Time: 1 hour. Focus is interview with Kim Reykdal from OSPI and a platform demo experience with Alicia Buxton from SchooLinks.
Rostering and Data Migration Video:
- Rostering and Data Migration Session
- Passcode: M7k.Sy%8
- Time: 1 hour. Focus is xxxxx
Admin Training:
- Admin Training Session
- Passcode: **Q3p5*D
- Time: 1 hour. Focus is xxxxx
Change Management:
- Change Management Session
- Passcode: 2p*BuDm8
- Time: 1 hour. Focus is xxxxx
Getting Started Training:
- Getting Started Training Session
- Passcode: 3?&hzw0E
- Time: 1 hour. Focus is xxxxx
Event Scheduler Training:
- Event Scheduler Training Session
- Passcode: &PT.x4#R
- Time: 1 hour. Focus is xxxx
Free Career Interest Inventories
- My Next Move – Browse careers by industry & take an Interest Profiler assessment
- Career One Stop – GetMyFuture for young adults
- O*NET – Research industries and take free career assessments
- O*NET – Spanish Language website
Career Exploration Videos for 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
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.
- Apprenticeships – Why Apprenticeship? Video and list of Washington state apprenticeship programs
- Explore different apprenticeships by watching short videos with local journey-level workers and take a virtual tour of several apprenticeship sites. Created by Washington Building Trades, Construct a Career.
- 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.
Virtual Amazon Careers 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!
Clock Hours Trainings Available:
Resume 101 Workshop – Canvas Course (asynchronous)
Guiding High School Students: Resume 101 Workshop prepares 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 at your school.
Healthcare Careers Overview – Canvas Course (asynchronous)
Contact Us
Career Connect NW Team:
Jenny Veltri
Sinead Fitzpatrick Plagge
Vanessa Woo
Mary Powers
Donovan Tate
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