business backgrounder | employment & workplace
additional information
• In 2009, at the peak of the Great Recession, the average
unemployment rate for Washingtonians with only a high
school diploma reached 10.5 percent. For those with some
college or an associate degree, the unemployment rate
reached 7.7 percent; for those with a bachelor’s degree, just
4.6 percent.
• In addition to the Washington Work Ready Assessment,
there are several other workforce training tools that the AWB
Institute helps in providing:
- WorkForceCollege.com: WorkForceCollege.com is a
collaborative website set up by the AWB Institute and
the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
The website connects employers, workers and the state’s
community and technical colleges to make sure that workers
are receiving the right training from the right school.
- Lifelong Learning Accounts: Lifelong Learning Accounts are
an employee-owned/employee-matched educational savings
account that helps pay for education and training expenses.
energy, business services, hospitality, health care and sustainable agriculture.
“Washingtonians are in difficult times and it’s not acceptable to have people lacking the skills for the jobs available
today,” said Charlie Earl, executive director for the State
Board for Community and Technical Colleges. “We’re doing
everything we can to close the gaps by providing the training
students need and employers demand.”
awb institute focuses on ‘soft skills’
A lack of an education is only part of the problem facing
employers in finding quality, skilled workers. One area in
particular that the AWB Institute has been focusing on is socalled “soft skills.” These are basic skills that aren’t covered
by the education system, such as punctuality, proper work
attire and accountability.
“One of the problems with our workforce today is that
young adults have little or no experience or exposure to the
world of work,” said Mike Hudson, project manager with
the AWB Institute. “They haven’t developed the ‘soft skills’
that people of the baby boomer generation learned working
a high school job. Second only to lack of specific job skills,
poor soft skills are the biggest problem employers tell us
they have when looking for potential employees.”
In order to combat this growing problem, the AWB
Institute offers the Washington Work Ready Assessment.
- The Job Skills Program: Washington’s Job Skills Program
is training customized to meet employers’ specific needs.
Training is delivered to new or current employees at
the work site or in a classroom. JSP training is a tool for
enhancing the growth of Washington’s economy and
increasing employment opportunities. JSP provides funding
for training in regions with high unemployment rates and
high levels of poverty. It also supports areas with new and
growing industries; locations where the local population
does not have the skills needed to stay employed; and
those regions impacted by economic changes that cause
large-scale job loss.
- Washington Customized Training Program: Washington
Customized Training provides training assistance to
businesses that provide employment opportunities in
Washington. Training is provided by community, technical
or private career colleges and can include formal training in:
basic education and skills, English language for non-native
speakers, technical skills and job-related instruction, plus
skills assessment and evaluation and training equipment,
materials, facilities and supplies.
For more information about these and other programs, contact
Mike Hudson with the AWB Institute at 360.943.1600 or
[email protected].
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