District Workforce Development Newsletter - December 2025

Seattle Colleges is monitoring federal regulatory shifts to ensure student success at North, Central, and South Seattle Colleges. We are pleased to share Workforce Pell Grants for Short-Term Programs: A Primer and Update from Negotiated Rulemaking. UPCEA has developed a blog that provides a primer and overview of the first week of sessions held by the Department of Education’s Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-Driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) committee.

Negotiators reached consensus on the framework, and these draft regulations will serve as the basis for the proposed rule that will go out for public comment. From Jan. 5–9, the committee will shift to negotiating regulations on program accountability metrics. To help you unpack these sessions, UPCEA will host a webinar, “Decoding Workforce Pell and the New Program Accountability Framework: Negotiated Rulemaking Insights and Implementation Guidance,” on Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. ET, and you can register here. Read the official UPCEA blog for more information.

Additional updates include the Department of Education Launches New Institutional Earnings Indicator as Part of FAFSA. Please check out these FAQs from our partner Thompson Coburn LLP on the new indicator regarding value in higher education. Visit the UPCEA Government Affairs page to find out more.

UPCEA is also tracking the following topics; Trump's Higher-Ed Policy Fight, Department of Education seeking Public Comment on Third Party Servicer Data Collection, and New Insights for 2025: How States Are Funding and Expanding Short-Term Credential Pathways. These resources provide an introduction to foundational topics in federal legislation and regulations, including:

• Introduction to the Online Learning Regulatory Landscape
• An Introduction to Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher Education
• Digital Accessibility Requirements for Online Learning
• Marketing Considerations Through the Lens of Regulations, Policies and Compliance
• International Policy Matters to International Program Success

Harper Engineering, an employee-owned company, is a leading producer of mechanically engineered devices for aircraft interiors. It offers a range of aircraft-certified products, with the capability to design, test, certify, and manufacture products in extremely short time frames. The Corporate Training team at Seattle Colleges recently visited Job Skills Program (JSP) grant recipient Harper Engineering for a check-in and tour. During the visit, the team observed a training on change management led by Norman Yu of Kocer Engineering, a vendor delivering training funded by the JSP grant.

Harper’s mission includes sustainable growth through innovation and excellence, enhancing customer partnerships, and empowering the team to achieve and surpass goals. During the tour, the Seattle Colleges team saw numerous examples of this mission in action, including a robotic arm that represents the ideal Harper Engineering strives for when marrying people and systems. Repetitive, precise cuts of small aluminum beams are a tedious, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous activity. Recognizing these issues, Harper Engineering introduced programmable robotic arms to automate this process. Operators who previously performed this repetitive work received training on how to set up, operate, and program the robotic arms. Through this automation, the company saw a decrease in defects and material waste. Additionally, the risk of severe cuts was removed as operators no longer put themselves in harm's way. Finally, employees learned new skills and expanded their capacity, allowing them to work on additional projects while overseeing the robotic arm process. This represents the best use of technology, automation, and employee skills to create a winning solution for everyone.

Another example involved partnering with a customer to develop an innovative time-locking latch. This collaboration required producing a high-quality and reliable product with unique features to meet a challenging set of regulations. The result of this joint effort was Harper Engineering delivering a high-quality customized design and a tested, compliant solution ahead of schedule.

As part of the JSP grant, Harper Engineering’s training includes implementation of a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that will enable the company to scale and evolve for future growth. Seattle Colleges Corporate Training was awarded a Job Skills Program (JSP) grant by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) to partner with training vendors and college instructors to provide the training to meet this need. Eighty-seven employees across the company will go through over 1,460 hours of training in ERP basics, best practices, testing, and validation. Additionally, a number of employees have already completed college training in Process Mapping and Time Management.

In the $70 billion aerospace industry in Washington supporting more than 250,000 jobs, Harper Engineering is one of the state’s 1,500 aerospace-related suppliers and vendors that sets a high bar in its innovation, excellence, and investment in its employees.

Seattle Colleges Corporate and Customized Training team is proud to partner with a company that puts its team members first and supports their skill development as well as providing an opportunity each month for everyone to get together and celebrate company wins. We are excited to see the growth and expansion that results from Washington State’s investment in the Job Skills Program grant funding, Harper Engineering’s commitment to this training, and Seattle Colleges Corporate Training team’s grant administration and training.

This December, the Seattle Colleges Workforce Development team held a holiday luncheon at Duke’s Seafood in South Lake Union to celebrate a year of significant impact. The group enjoyed delicious seafood and a beautiful view of Lake Union. The gathering was a dedicated time for the team to come together and recognize the collective efforts made throughout the year in helping develop and support the local workforce.

The time together provided an opportunity for the team to connect and debrief on the various successes and challenges of the past year. It was a chance to spend time together outside of daily tasks, allowing for a shared reflection on the work accomplished. This gathering highlighted the importance of getting together with colleagues to relax and enjoy a lovely evening together. It also allowed us to celebrate the dedication shown in supporting the workforce throughout the year.

While we celebrated our successes and enjoyed each other's company, we also took time to recognize Juan Guzmán as he prepares for the next chapter in his academic career. Juan has served as the Design and Communications Intern for the past year and is now moving on to Eastern Washington University (EWU) to continue his education. We are incredibly grateful for all the work he has contributed to the department and his efforts in producing the workforce newsletter. We will all miss him very dearly, and wish him the very best as he pursues his future education and career goals.