Washington College Grant. The Washington College Grant (WCG) is the state's largest financial aid program and provides grants to low-income students to pursue postsecondary education. The WCG is an entitlement program administered by the Washington Student Achievement Council with guaranteed grants for students who qualify. To qualify, a student must:

• demonstrate financial need;
• be a state resident;
• be enrolled at a Washington higher education institution in a credit bearing program or be enrolled in an approved, registered apprenticeship program;
• file a financial aid application; and
• not already have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Washington Retail Workforce Report. A 2023 report on the Washington retail workforce found the industry has a turnover rate in excess of 60 percent. Among other things, the report recommends improving career advancement opportunities with stacking of credentials toward academic degrees as one potential solution. 

The Washington career skills grant program is established for the purpose of incentivizing the creation of short-term and microcredentialing opportunities and programs relevant to the retail sector.

Eligible individuals are those who:

• are a resident student;
• enrolled in a short-term workforce credential in an in-demand industry;
• are enrolled in a noncredit-bearing educational program that is ineligible for federal or state financial aid; and
• have not yet earned a baccalaureate degree.

The Office of Student Financial Assistance is responsible for administering the program. This includes establishing a grant maximum, not to exceed the maximum Washington college grant; and developing a process for collecting the necessary data to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

Subject to amounts appropriated, the office may award program grant funds to eligible students. The grants may not: exceed the maximum award established by the office, exceed the student's cost of attendance, or extend beyond one year or 125 percent of the published program length.

Beginning October 1, 2025, the office must annually report to the appropriate committees of the Legislature:

• the names of each participating institution of higher education and the eligible credentials;
• the number of students eligible, number of students who participated, and student demographics; 
• data on program completion and credential attainment; and
• pre-credential and post-credential completion wage data.

The provisions of the bill are subjected to the sunset review.  The authorization is terminated July 1, 2029, and the statutes establishing the career skills grant program are repealed on July 1, 2030.