Building the Talent Pipeline That Powers Snohomish County’s Economy
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Snohomish STEM’s Role in Regional Economic Development
Snohomish STEM is the Economic Alliance Snohomish County’s (EASC) workforce infrastructure strategy — aligning education and industry to ensure Snohomish County has a prepared, local talent pipeline that supports long-term economic competitiveness.
Housed within the EASC, Snohomish STEM strengthens the future workforce as a core component of regional economic development.
By connecting learning to careers and aligning talent development with industry priorities, Snohomish STEM helps ensure that economic growth is supported not only by today’s businesses, but by tomorrow’s workforce.
The Workforce Challenge Snohomish STEM Addresses
Snohomish County’s economic vitality depends on a workforce that is skilled, adaptable, and aligned with the needs of local industry. Yet many students and jobseekers lack opportunities to explore high-demand careers, access to industry connections, or clear pathways from education to employment.
At the same time, employers face growing challenges in attracting and retaining local talent with the skills needed to compete in a rapidly evolving economy.
Addressing these challenges requires long-term, coordinated investment in workforce readiness, well before hiring decisions are made.
Snohomish STEM exists to close this gap by strengthening the talent pipeline that supports sustained business growth and regional competitiveness.
How Snohomish STEM Extends EASC’s Strategy Upstream
EASC advances economic development by supporting businesses, advocating for regional priorities, and fostering a competitive environment for growth. Snohomish STEM extends this strategy upstream by investing in the future workforce that those businesses depend on.
Together, EASC and Snohomish STEM:
- Support business attraction, retention, and growth by strengthening local talent pipelines
- Align education and workforce development with industry needs
- Advance a long-term, human-centered return on investment for Snohomish County
- This integrated approach ensures that workforce readiness and economic development move forward together—linking today’s economic activity with tomorrow’s opportunity.
What Snohomish STEM Does
Snohomish STEM operates as a regional network organization, convening partners and building systems that connect education to careers.
Rather than focusing on one-time interventions, Snohomish STEM works to create sustained alignment across sectors.
At a systems level, Snohomish STEM:
- Builds career-connected learning pathways aligned with high-demand industries
- Engages employers as partners in talent development and student career exploration
- Increases visibility of local career opportunities for students and communities
- Advances equitable access to education and workforce opportunities
This work includes career-connected learning initiatives that support student career exploration across high-demand industries and local opportunities.
Signature efforts include Snohomish STEM-led initiatives such as:
It also includes long-standing partnerships supporting programs like:
- Expanding Your Horizons (Edmonds College)
- Girls Explore STEM (WSU Everett)
- Manufacturing Day Tour (Everett Community College’s AMTEC program)
Together, these efforts increase the visibility of local career pathways, strengthen employer engagement, and help ensure Snohomish County’s economic growth is supported by a prepared, local workforce.
Investing in the Future Workforce
Long-term economic growth depends on a strong, prepared workforce. By investing upstream in education-industry alignment and career-connected learning, Snohomish STEM helps ensure Snohomish County’s businesses have access to local talent, today and in the future.
To learn more about Snohomish STEM’s programs, partnerships, and public-facing work, visit snohomishstem.org.
Frequently Asked Questions about Snohomish STEM
Snohomish STEM is the backbone organization aligning education and industry to ensure
Snohomish County has a prepared, local workforce to support long-term economic competitiveness.
Here are some FAQ’s about the program, its impact on the community, and its partnership with Economic Alliance Snohomish County (EASC).
If you have additional questions, please contact us at info@snohomishstem.org.
Frequently Asked Questions about Snohomish STEM
Snohomish County’s economic growth depends on a strong talent pipeline—but no single system
is designed to build it because:
• Schools are not resourced to maintain deep, up-to-date employer relationships
• Employers need talent but lack capacity to engage education systems at scale
• Many students lack visibility into local careers and pathways
Snohomish STEM exists to solve this coordination gap, serving as a neutral convener that
connects education, training, and industry so talent development aligns with regional workforce
needs.
Snohomish STEM serves as a neutral backbone organization strengthening the workforce
pipeline—from early learning through postsecondary education, apprenticeships, and other work-
based pathways.
Core functions of Snohomish STEM include:
• Designing and delivering career-connected learning
Snohomish STEM creates scalable, industry-aligned experiences that help students
understand local careers, required skills, credentials, and pathways—including degrees,
certifications, and apprenticeships.
• Supporting and strengthening partner-led initiatives
In addition to its own programs, Snohomish STEM supports career-connected learning led
by school districts, higher education institutions, apprenticeship and work-based learning
providers, employers, and nonprofits—through connection-building, program design
support, shared best practices, and collaborative funding efforts.
• Bridging K–12, postsecondary education, apprenticeships, and industry
Snohomish STEM actively connects secondary and postsecondary partners—including
colleges, apprenticeship providers, and training programs—with employers to align
outreach, skill development, and talent pathways with regional workforce demand.
• Reducing the cost of engagement for employers and educators
By managing relationships, coordination, and logistics, Snohomish STEM lowers barriers to
participation and makes workforce engagement more efficient and effective for all
partners.
• Advancing early learning and childcare as economic infrastructure
Snohomish STEM supports regional efforts to strengthen early learning and childcare
systems, recognizing their role in workforce participation, talent retention, and long-term
economic competitiveness.
Snohomish STEM creates long-term option value for the region—capacity that strengthens every
workforce and economic development investment.
It ensures Snohomish County’s economic growth is supported by a prepared, visible, and local workforce—today and for the future.
Tangible outcomes:
• Thousands of students annually engaged in local, high-demand career exploration
• Strong employer participation across key regional industries
• Increased student awareness, confidence, and interest in local career pathways
Strategic values:
• Stronger alignment between education, training, and workforce needs
• Reduced workforce risk for employers
• Faster activation of new initiatives as economic priorities evolve
Snohomish STEM extends EASC’s economic development strategy upstream by strengthening the
future workforce pipeline.
Together, Snohomish STEM and EASC:
• Support business attraction, retention, and growth
• Align talent development with industry priorities
• Tell a long-term, human-centered return-on-investment story for Snohomish County
Investment in Snohomish STEM increases the return on EASC’s broader economic development efforts.
Snohomish STEM operates leanly, with strong demand from schools, employers, and training
partners.
The primary constraint is predictable, sustained funding—not partnerships or vision
This is a high-leverage investment in economic infrastructure, not a one-time program sponsorship
If you’d like to become involved with or an investor of Snohomish STEM, you are welcome to contact us for more information.