Yesterday, we shared new research at the League of Education Voters’ lunchtime “LEVinar.” The findings raise a simple question: What happens when a young person is ready for what comes next, but the system isn’t?

Washington has no shortage of programs, resources, or people working to help young people succeed. But too often, those pieces aren’t connected. The result is a system that can make the path from education to a credential or career harder to navigate than it should be—and harder for young people to see what’s possible.

To better understand where Washington’s education-to-career system loses momentum, Washington STEM partnered with HarrisX and Schultz Family Foundation to hear directly from nearly 3,000 young adults, parents, navigation professionals, and employers across the state. What we learned points to a fundamental challenge: Washington has a systems problem, not a solutions problem.

About our approach

Educators, practitioners, community leaders, and employers across Washington have long offered insight into where the state's education-to-career systems are working, and where gaps persist. 

This project builds on that knowledge by gathering feedback from people close to and involved in these systems to better understand where and how Washington's education-to-career pipeline loses momentum, especially for young people who began their education here in Washington. 

It takes a multi-stakeholder view of the marketplace of systems and supports that shape how young people move from school to work, bringing together the experiences of young adults navigating the full range of postsecondary pathways with the perspectives of parents, navigation professionals, and employers.

Who we talked to

We conducted close to 3,000 interviews with young adults, parents, career navigators, and employers in Washington state. 
‍

Young adults (approx. 1,760)
16–24-year-olds
‍
Parents  (approx. 500)
Parents of 16–24-year-olds
‍
Navigation Professionals (approx. 500)
Counselors, educators, and career and workforce development specialists 
‍
Employers (approx. 200)
HR workers and hiring managers
‍

Takeaways

The data points to several places where the experiences of youth, navigation professionals, and employers diverge:

Washington’s navigation professionals (counselors, educators, and career and workforce development specialists) and employers tend to view the state’s school-to-career system as comparatively strong: 72% of navigators believe young adults are prepared for the job market, compared with 42% nationally, and 93% of employers say locally trained entry-level talent is at least as prepared as the national average. 

But only 47% of young Washingtonians feel prepared for the future job market—roughly on par with young adults nationally.

  • The AI training employers want is missing from current education offerings. 82% of young adults consider themselves strong AI users, and 79% of employers expect at least mid-level AI skills from entry-level hires. Yet fewer than half of young adults (48%) believe their education is adequately preparing them. More young adults say their education has discouraged or limited AI use (36%) than say it has helped them learn to use it (34%).
  • The barrier is not a lack of employer interest or goodwill.  
    Over 80% of employers want to participate in internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, and school partnerships, yet 77% cite limited staff capacity and 73% cite too many separate requests as barriers. Employers face a fragmented system of schools, programs, and opportunities that can make meaningful engagement difficult to develop and sustain.
  • Awareness doesn't consistently translate into participation.
    Two-thirds of young adults say they don't know where to start or which resources to trust, and some of Washington's best-known programs see substantial drop-off between awareness and participation. Awareness of proven and effective dual credit programs such as College in the High School and Running Start, as well as the High School and Beyond Plan, is high, yet it isn't translating into action: Washington's direct postsecondary enrollment rate has remained flat for 12 years.
  • Across regions, we found the adults that students rely on for career guidance often lack accurate information about high-demand job sectors. Parents, for instance, are nearly as likely as young adults to struggle to find resources. Meanwhile, 55% of career navigators say they rely on their own connections to stay informed. Closing Washington’s employment gap requires building interest in high-opportunity industries that young adults may currently overlook, such as manufacturing, aerospace, and hospitality​. That starts with ensuring career navigators use the available regional labor market data to understand viable career pathways.
  • Financial aid information doesn't always lead to informed decisions.
    While 76% of young adults say they understand financial aid at least somewhat well, only 47% know the Washington College Grant can cover costs beyond tuition. Three in four say knowing earlier that college or training could be free or low cost would change their decisions.

The questions we’re asking now

Our state doesn't lack programs, resources, or data. What we lack is a functional education-to-career system. Too many programs operate in isolation, and critical information isn't always accessible to, or designed for, the people who need it most.

Washington invests billions in education, yet we know surprisingly little about whether those investments work together or who benefits. A highly decentralized system has left spending, data, and decision-making fragmented across K–12, higher education, and CTE, making it difficult to see a full statewide picture of indicators, outcomes, and gaps.

That fragmentation is more than an information problem. It's an equity problem. Students and families with strong support systems are better positioned to find the right information, navigate disconnected systems, and turn opportunities into credentials and careers. Those without those connections, including communities historically excluded from high-quality STEM learning and high-demand careers, can face a very different path through the same system.

Who's connecting the dots between K–12 preparation and workforce outcomes?
Most of the audiences we surveyed believe Washington schools do a good job preparing students for the future, yet that perception doesn't connect to outcomes. So who's accountable? Where does the system break down? Which communities are struggling, which are thriving, and why?

Given state and local budget shortfalls, what can we do?
Financial responsibility means using what we've already invested in more effectively. Washington has invested significantly in programs, resources, and infrastructure. The challenge often isn't that those investments are wrong, but that they aren't being implemented with fidelity, connected to one another, or navigated as part of a larger system.

No single program can deliver the outcomes we want on its own. Better coordination, clearer navigation, and stronger connections among existing resources can help us get more value from the investments we've already made. Where genuine gaps remain, we can define them more clearly and direct new resources where they're most needed.
‍

Here's what we can do:

  1. Identify which entities in Washington’s education system will be accountable for connecting K–12 outcomes to postsecondary outcomes and workforce data.
  2. Encourage employer-designed and industry-led programming, curriculum, and experiences by scaling regionally facilitated pathway co-design that builds on existing assets and fills pathway gaps.
  3. Enable trusted adult influencers by scaling best practices that address adult mindsets, strengthen family and community knowledge, and support whole-school advising.
  4. Embed navigation skills into career readiness programming.
  5. Put the High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) to work as a data pathway for understanding whether students' interests translate into postsecondary outcomes, tracking both:
    • Leading indicators: what happens earlier in the pathway, including student interests, HSBP goals, courses taken, and experiences such as internships, dual credit, or career exploration.
    • Lagging indicators: what happens later, including whether students take action after high school and ultimately enroll, persist, earn a credential, or enter employment in high-demand fields.

About this effort

Research was conducted in collaboration with HarrisX and guided by a small advisory group that included Microsoft, Washington Roundtable – Partnership for Learning, League of Education Voters, Washington School Principals Education Foundation, Association of Washington Student Leaders, Gates Foundation, and the Schultz Family Foundation.

This work builds on the national Broken Marketplace research project, adapting it to reflect Washington State’s education-to-career landscape. Washington STEM led stakeholder engagement for the Washington study and helped shape its design so the findings speak to the state's unique systems, pathways, and communities.

This project was funded by the Schultz Family Foundation.

Media Contact: Gloria Jordan, Director of Communications

‍