Growing Our Own Workforce
June 2026
Meet Some GraduatesJune, 2026 - Each seat in every graduation this spring held someone ready to get to work. A perioperative nurse scheduled for her first shift. An electrician-in-training headed to Twisp. A recovery counselor who knows firsthand what the return on investment looks like in human terms. This year, 74 students graduated from SkillSource learning centers in Omak, Othello, and Wenatc...
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Common Thread: A Conversation with Randy Curry and Nate Mack
May 2026
Built from the Ground Up May 2026 – Make sure to look down at the concrete beneath your feet. And notice with gratitude when the AC stays on during a triple-digit summer in Central Washington. You would notice pretty quickly if those disappeared. That foundation happened thanks to the laborers and electricians who show up each morning on a job site, skilled in the trades that shape our lives....
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Field Trips Flip A Switch
May 2026
Empowering the future of powerMay 6, 2026 - Flip a switch and the light comes on. But how? It was a lightbulb moment for SkillSource students from Wenatchee and Othello last week as the abstract idea of a job in the trades turned into a visible reality. They went behind the scenes in Grant County to see exactly what — and who — it takes to power and build a community.At the Grant County PUD En...
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It Starts With Someone Who Sees You
May 2026
Partners in PotentialMay 2026 - Who comes to mind when you think of a teacher?Someone who showed up for you. Someone who helped you see what you could do next.Education is the cornerstone of our workforce system — an ecosystem where people and partner organizations work together so individuals and communities can stay healthy and stable.“Workforce” doesn’t sound very warm. But at its core,...
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Honoring Success & Partnership at The 35th Recognition Banquet
March 2026
A Collective Calling. A Shared Win. March 19, 2026 – The 35th Recognition Banquet was a celebration of the human connections that move our local economy forward. SkillSource CEO Lisa Romine set the tone by grounding the evening in something both practical and deeply human: while we often measure progress through self-sufficiency, none of us gets there alone. She named what was visible across t...
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Real-World Learning Through Project Based Learning
March 2026
"Just do it, you learn a lot, and make lots of memories."That’s the advice SkillSource Learning Center students, Lieltii, Julie, James, and Jason would give others about participating in a Project-Based Learning (PBL) experience. Over a six week 90-hour project these four students learned how to show up in real community environments, how to collaborate with others, and engage with the communit...
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Common Thread: A Conversation with Tad Hildebrand and Michelle Price
March 2026
The Value of Human Connection March 2026 – Who was your 6th grade teacher? That wasn't a question that was asked directly, but it was one of the common threads that emerged in our recent conversation with SkillSource board members, Tad Hildebrand and Michelle Price. Both Michelle and Tad could trace their professional spark back to the influence of their 6th grade teacher. For Michelle, it c...
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Shaping Education from the Inside
February 2026
Student Voices in Action February 19, 2026 – Students at the SkillSource Learning Center in Wenatchee spent part of a recent afternoon hearing from someone who’s around their own age and is already helping shape education policy across Washington.Seventeen-year-old Riley Acheson, is a Student Board Member with the Washington State Board of Education. She came in to share her story, and an op...
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Showing Up in Olympia: WWA Hill Climb
January 2026
Because the Investments Work January 2026 – Each year, the Washington Workforce Association’s Hill Climb creates a rare window for direct, face-to-face conversations with legislators. For SkillSource, that window matters. It’s a chance to connect directly and talk plainly about what’s working in our communities, and why it’s worth continuing.This year, SkillSource came to Olympia with ...
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Inside Mill Operations in Okanogan County
January 2026
Boards that Build January 2026 – Our Okanogan staff and community partners from the Okanogan Economic Alliance got an inside peek at Oroville Reman & Reload.Human Resources leader and SkillSource board member, Anthony Popelier, took the team on a tour, starting with “the board room” where they were seated around a long, beautiful table constructed from the very boards they process at ...
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