High-Demand Enrollment Expansion

Updates

As of July 1, 2026, all funding for the fiscal year 2026–27 has been allocated.  This year, the High Demand Enrollment Funds, Workforce Development Fund, and Invest in Washington will use a single, consolidated application. Each college may submit only one application covering all three funding sources. Please refer to the Program Guidelines for details on each fund, including deadlines, required attachments, and review criteria.

Expanding Access to High-Demand Occupations

The Washington State legislature provided $2 million for the FY25-27 biennium to increase enrollment in high-demand fields through ESSB 5998, Sec. 602. The High-Demand competitive funding opportunity will support Washington state community and technical colleges in new or expanded enrollments in training programs that lead to employment in high-demand fields. Colleges must demonstrate through the application process that the proposed program meets the threshold of high-demand program of study or high-demand occupation with qualitative and/or quantitative data from reliable sources. Colleges must also demonstrate how this funding will be utilized to grow enrollment and progression. 

High-Demand Defined

Applicants are encouraged to use state and regional data to identify fields that meet the definition of high-demand in stature under RCW 28A.700.020:

• "High-demand program" means a career and technical education program that prepares students for either a high employer demand program of study or a high-demand occupation, or both. 
  • "High employer demand program of study" means an apprenticeship, certificate or degree program in which the number of students per year prepared for employment from in-state programs is less than the number of projected job openings per year in that field, either statewide or in a region.
  • "High-demand occupation" means an occupation with a substantial number of current or projected employment opportunities. 
• High-demand programs specified in legislation included, but are not limited to allied health, computer and information science, and manufacturing (ESSB 5092, section 26). 

Guidance to Identify High-Demand Programs

Resources for determining high-demand programs of study and/or high-demand occupations may include, but are not limited to:

• State and regional data from Employment Security Department's Occupations in Demand list 

And/or

• Instructional program advisory committee recommendations
• Workforce Development council recommendations
• Demand data from industry, trade association data, and other transactional data