Washington students have big dreams for their futures, and Washington offers amazing opportunities to achieve those dreams, thanks to a diverse economy and employers ready to hire across industries and high-demand fields.

Over the decade, Washington is projected to see an estimated 1.5 million+ job openings, 75% of them requiring post-high school credentials, such as degrees, apprenticeships, and industry-aligned certificates and licenses. Bachelor’s and advanced degrees will be in highest demand—necessary for 45% of job openings. This is a tremendous amount of opportunity for skilled workers in our state.

Meeting this demand will require increased enrollment across our higher education institutions, which saw the first signs of positive enrollment trends in fall 2023 after three years of pandemic-induced decline. However, despite these signs, the state still has a long way to go to return to pre-pandemic enrollment levels.

What is the way forward? Let’s work together to reduce barriers to postsecondary enrollment and support students’ pathways to postsecondary credentials that will support their dreams, provide economic mobility, and enable them to support a family. We remain committed to our goal that 70% of Washington students earn a post-high school credential.

Read about our 2026 priorities.

Join us in shared action to ensure Washingtonians have the opportunities to earn a credential or degree.