Overview

Career Connect Northeast enhances STEM education opportunities for all youth in the region to increase the number of students who pursue and achieve success in STEM careers. Our goal is to reduce the STEM skills gap and grow Washington’s economy.

STEM by the Numbers

Washington STEM’s annual STEM by the Numbers reports let us know if the system is supporting more students, especially students of color, students living in poverty and/or rural backgrounds, and young women, to be on track to attain high-demand credentials.

View the Eastern regional STEM by the Numbers report here.

Programs + Impact

EARLY LEARNING AT HOME

Career Connect Northeast and a coalition of community partners distributed 1,000 sets of free conversation cards focused on early mathematics through the expansion of Everyday Language and Learning Opportunities (Project ELLO). Project ELLO is focused on increasing the number of quality interactions between caregivers and young children. Through the integration of meaningful conversations, home routines, and community spaces that are regularly accessed by families, ELLO resources encourage caregivers to talk with their children in ways that are thematically tailored to familiar routines and settings. ELLO works in partnerships with businesses, community-based organizations, and other educational partners to provide the essential resources Spokane area families and children need to thrive.

CAREER CONNECT WASHINGTON VIRTUAL LEARNING

In response to the pandemic, we, as North East Washington ESD (NEWESD) 101’s CCW Regional Network, co-applied for one of Career Connect Washington’s $50,000 rural grants to create the fall Virtual Career Expo Series in partnership with North Central ESD 171’s CCW Regional Network, Apple STEM. Students from both ESDs were invited to participate in one expo per week for six weeks, each week focusing on a different CTE pathway. Over the course of six weeks, over 1,000 students and 394 presenters (industry and college partners) registered. We plan to use the second part of these funds in a spring 2021 opportunity for CTE students.

BUSINESS AFTERSCHOOL© & TEACHING THE TEACHERS GO ONLINE

GSI’s Business AfterSchool and Teaching the Teachers programs turned virtual and have engaged more than 110 students and educators since October 2020. In addition, Career Connect Northeast has provided virtual training, materials kits and industry connections for 40 middle school teachers in 16 NEWESD 101 districts focusing on our current health crisis. In addition, educators received access to an aptitude and career exploration platform to broaden student knowledge of opportunities and pathways.

POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS

Running Start for Careers: Spokane Community College’s (SCC) Running Start for Careers program offers local high school students a chance to complete their college-level vocational training while still in high school. As of mid-December, approximately 70 students are enrolled in 22 programs at SCC and 11 programs at Spokane Falls Community College. Career Connect Northeast’s role is to elevate the importance of programs such as this to ensure students have access to equitable programs that kickstart their postsecondary journey while still in high school.

INCREASING FAFSA AND WASFA COMPLETION

Career Connect Northeast utilized WA STEM’s FAFSA/WASFA proviso to support 6 free virtual completion events in our region hosted by College Success Foundation (CSF) at the end of 2020 which engaged 112 students/families across 52 schools in NEWESD 101. Unfortunately, the pandemic has negatively affected our region’s completion rates, but events like this are critical to keeping resources and support front of mind.