The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges — led by a nine-member governor-appointed board — advocates, coordinates and directs Washington state’s system of 34 public community and technical colleges. The State Board sets policy, allocates state operating and capital funds to the colleges, strategically plans the system mission, and approves educational programs. Together, the 34 colleges serve about 370,000 students each year. The I-BEST @ Work program supports one of the system’s key mission areas: to teach adults basic foundational skills — like reading, writing and math — so they can advance at work and pursue higher levels of education. Adults also turn to the colleges to complete their high school diplomas, take the GED® or learn the English language. The system’s other key mission areas are to train students for high-demand jobs or to prepare them to transfer to universities.
