Young Adult Investments
As the workforce of the future, educating and training young adults is vitally important. Our young adult investments empower young people to learn and develop the skills necessary to succeed.
Through real-world and on-the-job experiences, young people gain the knowledge and experience to be good employees.
Young Adult Service Providers
The current providers of WIOA Youth Services for Clark, Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum counties are the NEXT Careers Consortium, which include partners Career Path Services and Partners in Careers. To get in contact with the WIOA Youth providers, contact: Alison Lauderdale at alison.l@nextsuccess.org, (360) 890-7759. The consortium of providers was approved by WSW’s Board on March 14, 2023. The procurement is for July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026. The RFP can be viewed at WIOA Youth RFP. Youth procurement is governed by Procurement Policy #1003.
Some of the young adult investments Workforce Southwest Washington helped develop:
NEXT Success
In August 2018, WSW opened NEXT Success, Clark County’s first one-stop young adult employment and training center. Originally designed to integrate education, job placement, training, housing support, and wraparound services under one roof, NEXT Success created a safe and welcoming space where young adults could access the support they needed to succeed.
Today, NEXT Success continues to serve young adults across Clark, Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum counties through a more flexible and collaborative model. While no longer operating as a single one-stop youth center, NEXT Success partners with schools, colleges, employers, and community organizations to deliver workforce services that meet young people where they are.
The mission remains the same: to empower young adults ages 16–24 with the education, training, and career opportunities they need to build a strong future.
For more information about young adult investments at NEXT Success, contact Lyn Love, Program Manager. Email Lyn .
SummerWorks
SummerWorks pairs local businesses with young adults for paid summer jobs. Each young adult participates in work-readiness training and career exploration activities prior to starting their job. By simplifying the hiring process, the program gives businesses an on-ramp to hiring young adults. Young adults assist with a diverse array of tasks and project-based assignments, learning about different industries and gaining key skills to become the next generation of talent for businesses in Southwest Washington.
Hiring young adults for a summer job provides businesses a unique opportunity to invest in their future workforce and help create a trained and experienced candidate pool. Since 2019, SummerWorks has served more than 350 young adults in Southwest Washington.
Businesses and young adults interested in learning more about SummerWorks can reach out to NEXT Success by phone at 360.890.7769 or by email at admin@nextsuccess.org.
Future Leaders Project (FLP)
The Future Leaders Project (FLP), a partnership between Workforce Southwest Washington (WSW), Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC), and Washington State University Vancouver (WSU Vancouver), offers paid summer internships with local employers that build skills, expand networks, and provide meaningful professional experience.
All WSU Vancouver students are encouraged to apply, especially those who may have faced extra challenges on their path to college such as being the first in their family to attend or coming from a low-income background.
In 2023, The Vancouver Business Journal wrote a spotlight on the Future Leaders Project, featuring perspectives from businesses and the interns they hosted. Read more here.
Businesses interested in learning more about the FLP and hosting interns, please contact our Associate Director of Programs Nolan Yaws-Gonzalez via email or call at 360.567.1066.
WSU Vancouver students should contact Bill Stahley, WSU Vancouver Employer Engagement Coordinator in the Career Action Center at bstahley@wsu.edu or 360.546.9273.”
