Aligning Business, Education, and Training for Lifelong Career Success

How Do You Support Adult Learners to Complete Credentials While Meeting the Demands of Washington’s Employers?

Client: Washington Roundtable
Services: Landscape Analysis, Market Segmentation
Focus Areas: Postsecondary Education, Workforce Development

Beyond Age 26: Understanding the Missing Data

The Washington Roundtable’s long-standing “Path to 70%” goal focuses on increasing the share of students who earn a postsecondary credential by the age of 26. While significant progress has been made on understanding the student journey up to that milestone, much less was known about what happens afterward for both “completers” (credential/degree holders) and “non-completers” (those without a credential or degree).

Key questions emerged:

  • What is the scale of the upskilling and reskilling needed among Washingtonians aged 26–44

  • How are current workforce development efforts meeting those needs?

  • Where can Washington Roundtable members play the most effective role?

Addressing these questions required a robust understanding of the workers themselves, paired with a clear picture of the existing training ecosystem in Washington and beyond.

Mapping the Need, Listening to Workers

Kinetic West led a multi-phase research initiative designed to capture both the supply and demand sides of the workforce development equation.

Landscape Analysis

We mapped state, regional, and national workforce development efforts, with an emphasis on:

  • Roles employer coalitions are playing in upskilling and reskilling

  • The impact of public sector investments (e.g., Good Jobs Challenge, Build Back Better, Infrastructure bill) on businesses

  • Occupations (and their degree attainment requirements) needed in the future for WA to continue economic growth

Customer Research

A call out from our ongoing research was that the annual high school graduating class will not have enough graduates to full our workforce gaps in the future – filling job openings will take both high school graduates earning credentials and current “non-completers” completing credentials. Washington employers wanted deeper insight into the supports needed for adults who started but never finished a credential. We focused on Washington adults, largely under age 35, who have not completed education or training beyond high school. This project explored:

  • Labor market analysis using census and employment data to size the addressable market

  • Polling to explore demographic, geographic, psychographic, and behavioral attributes of Washington adults who decided not to pursue postsecondary education or stopped before completing a credential.

  • Market segmentation to separate survey respondents into cohesive groups based on psychographic similarities (e.g., attitudes, opinions, values). This analysis highlighted five profiles of students who represent the best opportunities for engagement and potential enrollment/re-enrollment in postsecondary education.

  • Interventions that would uniquely support the market segmentations based on their unique needs and attitudes.

Collaborative Engagement

Throughout the process, we worked closely with Washington Roundtable’s Education Committee, business leaders, and partner researchers to ensure findings were actionable and targeted to Washington’s unique economic landscape.

Insights for Washington’s Workforce Future

  • Training Needs Don’t End at 26: Many Washingtonians require continued skill development to adapt to a rapidly changing economy.

  • One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Worker motivations range from career advancement to personal fulfillment, requiring diverse training options.

  • Employer Engagement Is Critical: Business-led coalitions can fill gaps in access, program design, and awareness.

  • Flexibility Drives Participation: Programs with modular, short-term, or hybrid formats are better suited for working adults.

Read the full report: PATH TO 70 UPDATE: Why Washingtonians Value Credentials But Aren’t Completing Them

Tackling a workforce challenge of your own?

Kinetic West brings rigorous analysis and actionable, data-driven strategies to help partners align education and training systems with economic growth. Contact: casey.white@kineticwest.com to learn more.