Job Skills Program (JSP) Grant

43 Years of Impact

The Job Skills Program (JSP) – started in 1983 to enhance economic development through short-term customized training – is now 43 years old. From 2,256 employees trained in the biennium 1983-1985, the program has grown and trained more than 81,000 employees in Washington State. 

About the Program

Job Skills grants are distributed to all corners of the state, including rural areas. They primarily serve areas where: 

• There is a shortage of skilled labor to meet businesses’ needs 
• Upgrading employee skills is necessary to avoid layoffs 
• New businesses or industry clusters need a skilled labor pool 
• Communities struggle with high unemployment 

The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges administers the Job Skills Program with guidance from an advisory committee made up of representatives from business, labor and public and private educational institutions. A subcommittee meets to review, provide input, and recommend applications for the grants. Representatives of the Department of Commerce and the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board also participate in the review process. 

The program awards grants to licensed educational institutions in Washington. JSP funds half of the training cost. Partner employers provide cash or in-kind match to fund the other half. Funds are awarded on a first-approved, rolling basis throughout the fiscal year. 

2026-27 Important Dates

2026-27 Program Guidelines and Resources

The following documents provide detailed information about how grant funds can be used, who can apply, the application process and deadlines.

• 2026-27 JSP Program and Fiscal Guidelines
• 2026-27 JSP Assurances
• Applicant Webinar Recording 
• Applicant Webinar Slide Presentation
• Questions & Answers - updated Apr. 23, 2026
• 2026-27 Trainee, Match, Courses, and Final Report spreadsheet

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Impacts

Bramble Berry, Inc. & Brooks Manufacturing Consortium

"Brooks Manufacturing Co. appreciated the opportunity to participate in the Job Skill Program grant. The grant provided instructors with subject matter expertise, and the class participants found the presentations and information both engaging and directly applicable to improving performance in their leadership roles. We specifically enjoyed working with Shandeen Gemanis for a second grant year. Shandeen thrives in the role of Continuing Education Specialist and makes the participation in this grant efficient and maximizes the need specific opportunities and subjects available to participating companies." - Bryan Silves, Vice-President of Operations, Brooks Manufacturing Company

"The training and efficiencies Bramble Berry gained from JSP trainings has been critical during this challenging economy. Because of the JSP grant, our employees are more empowered to be part of solutions and to take advantage of opportunities for growth." - Norman Vigre, President, Bramble Berry, LLC

Bramble Berry and Brooks Manufacturing have similar training goals of growing employees’ skills in lean and continuous improvement and workplace communication skills within their companies. The two companies are also conveniently located near one another, already utilize the same trainers, and employees have found great value in participating in joint training during the 2023 - 2024 JSP grant consortium project. Hence, Bramble Berry and Brooks Manufacturing have decided to continue their consortium to apply for a second JSP grant to make more training available to a greater number of employees and to leverage training for combined groups from both companies as appropriate.

Notable outcomes include:

• Completed 670 training hours for 34 employees.
• For Bramble Berry:
  • Using Lean methods, improved shippable pieces per labor hour to 16.5+ YTD.
  • Reduced order shipment time from 2.5 days to under 1.25 days.
• For Brooks Manufacturing:
  • Improved on-time shipment from 85% to 90%.

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Reports to Legislature

Job Skills Program reports are submitted by the State Board for Community and Technical colleges to the Washington State Legislature in fulfillment of RCW 28C.04.420 Job skills program — Grants — Reports.

• 2023-25 Job Skills progress report
• 2023-25 Job Skills biennial report

Reports from prior years are available upon request.