SPOKANE, Wash., Feb. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spokane Colleges today announced it has been selected as one of 15 institutions nationwide to participate in Student Voices Informing Practice in Noncredit Workforce Education, a new initiative led by the Education and Employment Research Center at Rutgers University (EERC) in partnership with the National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE).

The initiative brings together a diverse cohort of community and technical colleges to better understand and elevate the experiences of students enrolled in noncredit workforce programs. Through research and peer learning, participating colleges will examine barriers to enrollment and completion, strengthen student supports, and identify strategies that improve outcomes in short-term workforce training.

Selection for the initiative places Spokane Colleges among a small group of institutions nationally engaged in advancing student-centered practices in noncredit workforce education.

“We are honored to be selected to help define the next student-centered advances in workforce training,” said Julie Parks, Vice President of Workforce Development at Spokane Colleges. “Workforce programs are often the most accessible entry point to education and career mobility for many learners. This work will help us listen more closely to our students, strengthen equity and access, and continue aligning our programs with the needs of our community and regional employers. This is an opportunity to highlight how responsive Spokane Colleges is among community college districts nationwide.”

Student Voices Informing Practice in Noncredit Workforce Education is designed to connect research to practice, ensuring that student perspectives and practitioner expertise shape program improvements, learner outcomes, and emerging policy efforts, including Workforce Pell implementation.

About Spokane Colleges - Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College are part of Spokane Colleges, one of the largest higher education providers in Eastern Washington, serving about 20,000 students each year. Spokane Colleges provides higher education, early learning and workforce training and continuing education services across a six-county region in northeastern Washington. Both colleges are accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

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Contact Info

Neil Shurtz
neil.shurtz@ccs.spokane.edu
+1 509-863-2962