Workforce Data

Yakima County offers a complete range of educational resources.  Options range from a private technical college, a major university, even a medical university. Parents can choose from a wide variety of public and private educational settings for their children.

Yakima Valley College
YVC is a public two-year institution now offering four bachelor of applied science degrees (Business Management, Dental Hygient, IT Network Administrator, and Teacher Education). Their main campus is located at 16^th Avenue and Nob Hill Blvd in Yakima and a Lower Valley campus is located at 500 W. Main Street in Grandview. Their programs include lower division college arts and sciences, university transfer, and several vocation & technical programs ranging from informational technology to dental hygiene and from winery technology to criminal justice. YVC offers students many options which are valuable in today’s competitive marketplace.

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
The Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) will train 75 new primary care physicians per year beginning in 2008. It is the first medical university to open in the entire Pacific Northwest in 60 years! PNWU is staffed by academic instructors and practicing physicians from both the osteopathic and allopathic professions with a student body soon to be near 280.

Heritage University
A four-year university located in Toppenish, Heritage is a private institution whose major fields of concentration are teacher education, business administration, and social sciences.   Graduate level courses are also available in education and social sciences. Heritage University provides valuable programs to Yakima Valley residents and is generously supported by alumni and community donors.

Central Washington University
Central Washington University (CWU) is a comprehensive, four-year public university granting baccalaureate and master’s degrees from both its main campus in Ellensburg, Washington and its center in Yakima. CWU-Yakima is co-located at Yakima Valley Community College within the Deccio Higher Education Center and offers degree options in the following areas:  BAEd Elementary Education, BS Interdisciplinary Studies – Social Sciences, BS or BAS in Information Technology and Administrative Management and Continuing Education courses. The Yakima Center also offers coursework that can be applied toward CWU’s College of Business programs in BS Business Administration and BS Accounting.  The College of Business (CB) within Central Washington University (CWU) is accredited by AACSB International–The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Central’s main campus in Ellensburg is 30 miles north of Yakima.

Perry Technical Institute
Perry Technical Institute has been recognized nationally for their state-of-the-art technical programs ranging from instrumentation to HVAC and informational technology to medical office administration. Ten programs are offered at Perry with several more in cooperation with Central Washington University in engineering, robotics, and other technology.

Employment Agencies

Atlas Staffing
Elwood Staffing
BBSI
Central Washington WorkSource
There are several private employment agencies that serve the Yakima Valley. These firms provide temporary and permanent employees based on employer needs. In some cases these private employment agencies can provide skill training for job seekers interested in specific jobs or occupations.

In addition to these private employment agencies, Washington State and the South Central Workforce Council operate three WorkSource centers in Yakima County. WorkSource centers help employers publicize job openings and screen potential applicants. These center also help job seekers connect with specific job openings or training opportunities.

Local Job Boards

There are several online job boards that identify employment opportunities within the Yakima Valley.

Yakima Herald Republic
The Yakima Herald Republic website features area job listings as well as a resume bank.

Yakima Valley Jobs
YakimaValleyJobs.com is a part of the Workin.com network of locally focused job sites.

Yakima Help Wanted
Yakimahelpwanted.com is part of onTargetJobs, Inc. The company operates over 350 local online job boards in the U.S. and Canada.

Yakima Craigslist
Craigslist features job listings many of which are specific to the Yakima Valley region.

WorkSource
WorkSource is Washington State’s public one-stop center for jobseekers. It maintains an online job board and has offices in Yakima, Sunnyside and Toppenish.
To learn more about WorkSource resources for employers, click here