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:
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:
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 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 The authorization is terminated July 1, 2029, and the statutes establishing the career skills grant program are repealed on July 1, 2030.