A recent report written by the Seattle Jobs Initiative, Beyond the Bottom Line: Expanding Economic Opportunities for Washington’s Working Families, shows that one out of four working families in Washington doesn’t earn enough to provide basic necessities such as housing, food, and health care.

As part of the solution to this complicated issue, Seattle Jobs Initiative supports improving access to short-term workforce education within the community and technical college system.  Changes that are needed include increased funding for training relevant to employer needs; more funding for adult basic education and English as a Second Language courses that allow individuals to get a foothold in the job market; and, increased financial aid for workers who can only afford to attend school part time.

• ESL enrollments alone have increased 28 percent over the last five years.
• 1 in 3 community and technical college students is a parent, 1 in 10 is a single parent, and 1 in 4 works full time.
• Students enrolled in basic skills courses tend to be low-income, and are more likely to be parents.

Why doesn’t the structure of the current financial aid system support low-income adults?
The community and technical college system was designed to be affordable for residents of Washington State.  While annual resident tuition is relatively low at $2,142, the cost of attendance including books, transportation and room and board is estimated at $12,000 per year, a large proportion of a low-wage person’s budget.

Both state and federal financial aid are structured for the traditional full-time student moving from high school to a postsecondary certificate or a degree program.  In order to qualify for financial aid programs, students must be enrolled in one of these certificate or degree programs. 

Also, programs or schedules that would most benefit low-income working adults are not eligible for financial aid.  Short-term classes targeting specific job skills can allow adults to quickly increase wages and minimize income loss from time spent in school, but financial aid eligibility rules make it very difficult for low-income adults to receive support.  While time spent in school is an investment, it can be too much of a trade-off for families with too few resources to cover basic needs.

Why doesn’t state funding for colleges align with the needs of low-income adults?
Like financial aid, colleges’ funding from the state is currently based on full-time students. Short-term courses that do not last for a full quarter translate into fewer full-time students, which leads to colleges receiving less reimbursement from the state than the cost of providing the classes.