Workforce Development

Your next reliable hire could come from the Pasco Transition Center

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 12:30:00 -0500

The Pasco Transition center want to showcase their students’ enthusiasm and capability to show employers that those with special needs can become reliable employees and achieve independence.

Artificial intelligence in the classroom

Thu, 12 Nov 2026 12:30:00 -0500

As the debate about the role of artificial intelligence carries on, teachers once again find themselves at the forefront of a discussion about the impact of new technologies on education. For many teachers, the outlook isn’t great.

Netflix sends Tri-City entrepreneur to prison

rachel@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 12:30:00 -0500

What do prison, Netflix and a local entrepreneur have in common? A new reality TV show featuring a Pasco CEO.

New 32-bed mental health facility to open in Kennewick

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 12:30:00 -0500

An inpatient mental health treatment facility in Kennewick that has sat dormant since being built five years ago is finally opening its doors.

This inmate champions workforce development behind bars

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 12:30:00 -0500

A Coyote Ridge inmate helps fellow prisoners envision their future – and take steps to prepare for it. He is one of the first incarcerated people in the nation to serve on a state-level group aimed at improving re-entry services for incarcerated people.

WSU Tri-Cities grad named head of WSU College of Nursing

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0400

A two-time WSU Tri-Cities alumna who has led the WSU system’s College of Nursing on an interim basis for the past year now has the job permanently.

Heritage receives $2.5M grant to expand nursing education

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Toppenish-based Heritage University recently received a $2.5 million federal grant intended to create a new pathway for rural high school students to pursue four-year nursing degrees.

WA hospitals anticipate losing billions in revenue from Medicaid cuts

jgoldsteinstreet@washingtonstatestandard.com — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Washington’s hospitals anticipate losing nearly $6 billion in revenue through 2033 due to steep Medicaid cuts in the coming months.

Tri-City unemployment hits three-year low

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0400

The percentage and number of workers claiming unemployment benefits in Benton and Franklin counties in September was at its lowest level in years, according to the state.

Study: Workers who fear AI replacement negatively impact workplaces

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0400

If you’ve been sharing big plans to adopt artificial intelligence and related tools at your business with your employees, you could be making them less productive.

Fall college enrollment defies national trends

ty@tcjournal.biz — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0400

At a time when colleges and universities across the country are facing declining enrollments, higher education institutions serving the Tri-Cities continue to buck that trend.

Richland company files for bankruptcy, citing canceled federal contracts

ty@tcjournal.biz — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0400

A Richland-based company that developed a way to convert waste to alternate energy sources such as hydrogen has filed for bankruptcy, indicating federal contracts canceled by the Trump administration cost it upward of $50 million in potential revenues.

Tri-City cardrooms face closure unless new owner steps up

ty@tcjournal.biz — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0400

It may be the final hand for two Tri-City cardrooms and that could put more than 200 people out of work.

Kadlec, partners invest in future healthcare workforce

ty@tcjournal.biz — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0400

The healthcare academy gives Tri-Cities high school students paid internships and a pathway to healthcare careers while helping build the region’s future workforce.

Fusion startup picks Tri-Cities for advanced nuclear plant

ty@tcjournal.biz — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Landmark project would establish a world-class advanced manufacturing center, create hundreds of long-term jobs and position the Tri-Cities and state as a global hub for fusion technology.

Chamber begins national search for its next leader

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0400

The Tri-City Regional Chamber has launched a nationwide search for its next president and CEO.

Hiring slows in September with job growth of 29K

thenderson@stateline.org — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Jobs across the United States rose by 29,000 in September, a disappointing result as recent growth was also revised down in the monthly jobs report released Oct. 2, the last one before midterm elections.

WA’s nation-high minimum wage rising to nearly $18 an hour in 2027

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Washington state’s minimum wage will grow by 60 cents per hour in 2027, reflecting the continuing impact of inflation and other cost-of-living increases on workers.

RSD launches superintendent search

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

The search for Richland School District’s next top administrator has officially begun.

Amazon upping minimum pay, adding other worker benefits

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Online retailer Amazon, which is expected to hire hundreds of additional workers in the Tri-Cities in the coming years, is looking to make its positions more appealing to potential employees.

Crystal ball for job growth puts Tri-Cities on top in state

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:00:00 -0400

The latest projections of job growth for Washington state aren’t anything to write home about, but the Tri-Cities appear to be a relatively bright spot among a lackluster jobs forecast.

WA state workers stage walkout amid clash over pay demands

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:00:00 -0400

With contract negotiations nearing a critical deadline, hundreds of Washington state workers recently walked off the job for an hour to highlight demands for wage hikes in their next two-year deal.

Immigrant worker protections slated to begin Oct. 1

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

A new set of worker protections take effect Oct. 1, and state justice officials and business groups are advising business owners to learn what their new obligations are under the law.

Plant operations shift to Pasco amid layoffs

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Twin City Foods plans to lay off more than 100 employees as it consolidates its Ellensburg and Pasco plants.

Striking workers will need to seek jobs to qualify for WA unemployment benefits

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Workers involved in labor disputes must comply with the state’s rigorous job search requirements to receive benefits. This means actively seeking work and recording efforts to find another job.

Demand for Washington’s Job Skills Program hits record high

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Washington state is investing millions in grants to help workers level up through its Job Skills Program and demand for the funding in the most recent cycle was the highest in the program’s 40-year history.

Longtime CEO of Children’s Reading Foundation to step down

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 21:00:00 -0400

The Children’s Reading Foundation’s longtime CEO is stepping down and a national search is underway for a successor.

Conflict brews over ag worker housing project

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:00:00 -0400

A group of Mid-Columbia irrigators and the Washington Department of Ecology are sparring over a long-planned housing project for agricultural workers west of Paterson along the Columbia River.

Tyson putting Wallula beef facility up for sale

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:00:00 -0400

National meat processor Tyson Foods is downsizing its operations and its plant outside the Tri-Cities is on the block.

Hospitals report years of financial strain

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:00:00 -0400

Financial records show Trios and Lourdes hospitals in the Tri-Cities still struggling years after private equity firm LifePoint's acquisition.