Where we stand
Share of working-age adults holding a postsecondary credential.
Across Pierce County, hundreds of capable institutions are already working toward the same goal. By 2030, 70 percent of residents will hold a postsecondary credential. Today, we are at 45 percent, and closing that distance takes every sector working together.
Share of working-age adults holding a postsecondary credential.
Pierce County's cost of living for a single adult is $52,644 a year. This number represents median earnings in Washington State 15 years after high school, broken down by highest credential earned.
Closing the credential gap isn't just a workforce goal. It's what determines whether families who live here can afford to stay.
Closing the distance between what a credential costs and what families can carry.
Trusted guidance at the moments students are most likely to disengage.
Bringing education and employers around the jobs already here in Pierce County.
Leaders from across Pierce County came together last month to launch three Leadership Tables: Affordability, Navigation, and Workforce Readiness. Each table acts as a governing body charged with removing systemic barriers and aligning our strategic direction. These leaders are tasked with setting priorities and goals, providing transparent accountability, and guiding the broader Action Networks where practitioners execute the strategies.
Over the coming months, the EdCollaborative will organize leadership tables and action networks around affordability, navigation, and workforce readiness.
The path forward isn’t more programs. It’s better coordination, small, intentional, sustained, and built on the relationships and assets this community already has.
OUR NEXT CHAPTER
For fifteen years, as the Foundation for Tacoma Students, we helped the community nearly double high school graduation rates through the Graduate Tacoma movement. That work built the relationships and trust that everything since has grown from.
As the conversation shifted from graduation to credential completion and career connection, the work had to follow. The EdCollaborative reflects a wider geography, a longer horizon, and a deeper commitment to making sure what happens across Pierce County connects.