Clark College Receives State Grant for Healthcare Workforce Development

For Immediate Release
July 30, 2025

VANCOUVER, Wash. — Clark College has been awarded $130,000 by the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges to launch the Healthcare Pathways Regional Coordination for Southwest Washington. This project, which will be implemented in 2026, will support local healthcare workforce development by expanding awareness of career pathways and strengthening collaboration between education and industry partners.

Led by Dr. Scot Headley, Dean of Business and Health Sciences, the initiative focuses on three key objectives:

• Solidifying and expanding regional partnerships through dedicated coordination and leadership
• Bridging K-12 and postsecondary pathways
• Creating outreach materials that promote prospective student awareness of healthcare pathways in the region

The Healthcare Pathways Regional Coordination is one of 12 community and technical college projects to receive workforce development funds, which aim to help industry thrive and expand in Washington state while continuing to support the development of a skilled workforce.

“The project model is to develop a regional alliance amongst all healthcare partners,” Dr. Headley explained. “Regional partnerships allow innovation in the options available to reskill or upskill workers, including apprenticeships or work-based learning. And, strong partnerships between education and industry will allow continuous feedback to ensure graduates have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to be workforce-ready—not just for an individual school, program, or hospital, but across the entire healthcare industry.”

Meeting a Growing Demand

The need for healthcare professionals in Southwest Washington is on the rise. The healthcare industry currently represents nearly 10% of the Gross Regional Product in the region. Within Clark College’s service area—Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties—the healthcare industry is expected to grow by 35.2% over the next 10 years, outpacing the

26.5% national average. Regional employers continue to face challenges in recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals.

By partnering with community and industry leaders, Clark College will address these challenges head-on. Project collaborators include Educational Service District 112 and regional school districts, Workforce Southwest Washington, Washington State Allied Health Center of Excellence, Vancouver Clinic, Legacy Health, PeaceHealth, labor partners such as OFNHP and SEIU Education Fund, and multiple Clark College departments.

This new funding builds on the foundational work already in progress. In 2024, Clark College helped establish a regional partnership focused on healthcare pathways, bringing together healthcare professionals, educators, and workforce experts. Under a previous leadership grant in collaboration with ESD 112, the college hosted educational summits to align K-12 and postsecondary curricula, strengthening dual-credit opportunities and streamlining pathways to industry-recognized credentials in high-demand fields.

Building on this momentum, Clark College hosted an inaugural Healthcare Pathways Education and Industry Summit with more than 75 healthcare professionals, educators, and workforce development experts. This Career Connect Southwest initiative, co-hosted by the Washington State Allied Health Center of Excellence and Workforce Southwest Washington, identified a need for:

• Intentional partnerships between education and industry.
• Improved communication across sectors
• Clearly defined career pathways for students—including those who do not plan to earn a four-year degree.
• More hands-on opportunities for students.

Vickei Hrdina, ESD 112’s Director of K-12 Workforce-Higher Ed Partnerships and Executive Director of Career Connect Southwest, said, “By developing a clear roadmap for aligning high school Career and Technical Education with post-secondary training and real workforce needs, we’ve taken a significant step toward building a more seamless talent pipeline.”

The Healthcare Pathways Regional Coordination for Southwest Washington will move this work forward, establishing a long-term regional approach to addressing workforce development needs across the region.

About Clark College’s Health Care Programs

Clark College Health Care and Biosciences program allows students to learn from industry experts and practice skills in state-of-the-art facilities. As the home to one of the oldest and most respected nursing programs in the region, Clark has an established reputation as a premier trainer of health care professionals.

Learn more about Clark College’s health care program

About the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges

The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges is led by a governor-appointed board and provides leadership, advocacy, and coordination for Washington’s system of 34 public community and technical colleges. Each year, about 290,000 students train for the workforce, prepare to transfer to a university, gain basic math and English skills, or pursue continuing education.

Learn more about SBCTC

About Clark College

Founded in 1933, Clark College provides residents of Southwest Washington with affordable, high-quality academic and technical education. Clark is a public community college offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs, including bachelor’s and associate degrees; professional certificates; high school diplomas and GED preparation; and non-credit community and continuing education. Clark serves a wide range of students including high school students, displaced workers, veterans, parents, non-native English speakers, and mature learners. Approximately 45% of its students are in the first generation of their families to attend college.

Clark College is Southwest Washington’s largest public institution of higher education and serves over 8,000 students per term. Construction has been completed on the new Advanced Manufacturing Center at Boschma Farms in Ridgefield, Washington, where the inaugural cohort of Advanced Manufacturing students will begin classes in Fall 2025.

Learn more about applying to Clark College

For additional information: (media & photo requests):
Malena Goerl, Clark College Communications & Marketing
Phone: 360-992-2819
Email: mgoerl@clark.edu