The Spokane Workforce Council (SWC) and KSPS partnered in 2018 to develop and design a website that would provide the community with local career-focused information and educational resources through a series of videos that help area students explore and find the right career path.
Within a few months, Career Explore NW (CENW) was born and takes its audience on a journey to explore local industries and occupations through professionally produced videos from the comfort of their home or classrooms.
As a primary project partner with KSPS, the SWC’s Business & Industry Analyst Michael McBride has a significant role with the project team at KSPS to provide labor market information for every industry and career spotlight video.
Additionally, KSPS has received sponsorship from 62 area businesses and entities to create job spotlights. CENW is the premier online destination for students to learn about in-demand careers with local employers. New partners are continuously added, and the geographic reach has extended to the Tri-Cities area.
The career exploration videos are included in SchooLinks, which are used by teachers and counselors to prepare students with vetted labor market data from the SWC. The videos are also available to a national audience through PBS learning media which provides premade lesson plans and curricula.
VICKI L., Director of Technical Education & Professional Development, West Valley School District
This website has been instrumental in partnering business and education together to help inform students, parents, and the community about the various job opportunities in our region. As more videos have been created, teachers have commented on all of the jobs they didn’t know existed and how they feel more comfortable talking with students about these opportunities.
CENW Contributes to Local Workforce Service Delivery
The CENW website has also been a vital part of the Spokane workforce system’s service delivery to customers. Career coaches from each of the sites on the WorkSource Spokane One-Stop Campus (WorkSource Spokane, Next Generation Zone, Resource Center of Spokane County) utilize this resource through one-on-one services and have promoted the website in their workshop presentations.
The website’s impact on Spokane’s workforce development efforts is profound. As of this moment, CENW has published 100 diverse careers videos since the project was introduced to the public and the website has over 100,000 visits. CENW also includes virtual field trips of local employers with an interactive 360 view to bring audiences into the business and see the work environment of key occupations highlighted on CENW’s website.
Awards Keep Piling In
- 2020 National Education Television Association (NETA) National Public Media award winner
The National Educational Telecommunications Association awarded KSPS PBS won three national Public Media Awards. The PMAs honor public television stations’ achievements in 2020 in education, community engagement, marketing/communication, and content. Career Explore NW won in the Educational Resources for the Community category. - 2022 Development Awards national winner
KSPS PBS received a Corporate Support Award, one of five of the PBS National Development Awards, was made during PBS’s annual gathering of member stations. This award recognizes leaders in public media for their success in incorporating new techniques, finding new types of revenue, or developing innovative strategies and targeted marketing efforts. KSPS PBS was named the Corporate Support winner for the project “Career Explore Northwest,” a collection of 90-second career spotlight videos and longer format virtual field trips that were promoted on air and through digital channels. - 2022 WWA Workforce Partner of the Year
This is the first time the Washington Workforce Association is recognizing excellence in workforce development throughout the state of Washington. The award was presented at the 2022 WWA Conference in Seattle, WA, and attended by over 500 workforce development professionals. - 2022 Career Prep Grant Awardee
Selected in 2022 by Career Connect Washington (CCW) to receive a Career Prep grant to develop an internship program for students interested in jobs in media and media production.
Explore KSPS’ Career Explore NW here: https://www.careerexplorenw.org/
Partner with the SWC on your upcoming project involving the use of labor market information: https://spokaneworkforce.org
