In 1990, the Port of Seattle, together with educators, business leaders, human service providers, organized labor, and local government officials, formed the Working in King County Task Force to address concerns about the skill level of the applicant pool in the Port-related economy and limited living-wage job opportunities for community residents.
In response to the study's recommendations, the Port of Seattle spearheaded the creation of the "Office of Portworks" in 1993, to provide a forum for employers, unions, training providers, community-based organizations and local governments to work together on workforce development in the Port-related economy.
In 2000, Port Jobs created the Airport Jobs center at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Airport Jobs connects thousands of jobseekers each year with dozens of employers throughout the airport. After 9/11, Port Jobs won the Governor's Best Practices in Workforce Development Award for the Airport Screeners project, which set a record for helping more incumbent screeners get hired by the newly-created TSA than any other airport in the U.S.
Our mission has remained the same for almost 20 years: to develop strategies to employ more skilled workers in port-related businesses and create opportunities for those who had typically been underrepresented in such jobs.
PORT JOBS RECEIVES FUNDING AND IN-KIND SUPPORT FROM THE PORT OF SEATTLE