October 14, 2025
The Duwamish Valley community has long faced unique barriers to economic opportunity, despite living at the center of our region’s trade, travel, and transportation infrastructure. Previous Port-funded initiatives like the Duwamish Valley Green Jobs Program helped residents build skills in environmental and habitat stewardship, but also highlighted a need for clearer pathways to actual employment.
To help meet this need, the Port of Seattle launched Career Navigation Services to help connect job seekers to port-related industries like aviation, maritime, green industries, and the skilled trades and provide clear, equitable pathways to family-wage careers.
Through personalized coaching with wraparound support — including help with training and application costs, work gear, and transportation — the program gives job seekers the tools and resources to succeed.
Led by TRAC (Training, Rehabilitation, Assessment, Counseling) Associates and funded by the Port, Career Navigation Services provides one-on-one support to help community members overcome barriers and take the next step toward meaningful employment. Whether it’s career exploration, direct employment opportunities, preparing for a pre-apprenticeship program, or enrolling in an existing training program, the service is designed to meet people where they are and create a personalized roadmap to success.
Who it’s for
Career Navigation Services are available to job seekers in the Duwamish Valley and other near-port communities — especially women, people of color, and immigrants — who are looking to enter or advance in port-related careers.
What the program offers:
Personalized career navigation – One-on-one guidance to explore career options, understand training programs, and set clear goals
Job connections – Support with resumes, applications, and direct connections to employers who are hiring
Training pathways – Help finding and enrolling in programs that prepare for careers in fields like shipyard welding, aviation maintenance, construction trades, and green jobs
Wraparound support – Assistance with transportation, tools, work gear, and other basic needs
Community-centered outreach – Services are based at the Duwamish River Community Hub, with special focus on supporting residents of South Park and Georgetown
How it works
Career Navigators serve as a bridge between the community and port-related industries.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Community connections - Community-based organizations connect job seekers to career navigation services
Step 2: Consultation – Meet with a Career Navigator to identify strengths, interests, and career goals. Explore career options across aviation, construction, maritime, and green jobs
Step 3: Personalized plan – Get matched to direct employment opportunities, job openings, pre-apprenticeship programs, or training programs that fit your path
Step 4: Support along the way – Access resume building, interview prep, scholarships, application fee coverage, and other supports to remove barriers
Step 5: Ongoing check-ins – Stay connected with your Navigator to track progress, build skills, and move forward in your chosen pathway
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To work with a Career Navigator, contact Ginney To at (206) 335-5901 or [email protected].
A community commitment
This initiative reflects the Port’s broader community benefit commitments (Resolution 3767) to advance equity and environmental justice in the Duwamish Valley, which has been impacted by Port operations. By investing in workforce development, the Port is reducing barriers, expanding opportunity, and ensuring residents can access stable, well-paying jobs while continuing to live, work, and thrive in their community.
TRAC Associates brings decades of experience in training, rehabilitation, assessment, and career counseling, and is now in the discovery phase of working directly with Duwamish Valley residents. A community launch event is planned for late October to celebrate the program’s start and connect more people to these opportunities.
The Duwamish Valley Career Navigation Services initiative is one way the Port is putting its equity commitments into action. By connecting residents to real opportunities in maritime, aviation, green industries, and the trades, the program helps build careers that support families, strengthen neighborhoods, and create lasting opportunities for generations to come.
