Employee Training
The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges helps build regional and statewide partnerships between colleges and companies, labor organizations, and industry associations. We work closely with the Association of Washington Business to link colleges with businesses throughout the state. The Association of Washington Business and the department operate a joint website, WorkforceCollege.com, that links businesses with training programs at colleges all over the state.
The Department provides the technical assistance and funding to colleges in the following program areas:
- Apprenticeship grants help maintain and expand apprenticeship programs.
- Centers of Excellence funding helps colleges that are designated as Centers of Excellence serve as points of contact and resource hubs for industry trends.
- Customized Training pays the up-front costs of employee training for businesses expanding in or relocating to Washington State. Participating businesses receive a state business and occupation (B&O) tax credit for 50 percent of the cost of training.
- The Homeland Security Institute is chartered under the Washington State Homeland Security Strategy to provide cross-discipline training and training support systems to emergency responders.
- Job Skills grants provide funding for customized training for businesses. This program also links funding for customized training with dollars from Worker Retraining, WorkFirst, and Employment Security Department incumbent worker training programs.
- Federal Perkins dollars help stimulate innovative instruction and link high schools and colleges together through the Tech Prep program.
- Worker Retraining serves unemployed workers seeking new skills.
- WorkFirst block grants serve low-income students.
- Workforce Development / High Demand funds are available in several categories: base allocations, workforce development projects, and high demand grants.
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