Governor Gregoire Awards $300,000 for Workforce Development

For Immediate Release: March 27, 2006

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire today announced incentive awards to local Workforce Development Councils across the state for exceeding standards set by the federal Workforce Investment Act.

�Washington�s Workforce Development Councils have been working hard to provide quality job training services that will assist workers and businesses in the global economy,� said Gov. Gregoire. �I am proud of their dedication to preparing Washingtonians for work in a competitive job market.�

Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board) Executive Director Ellen O�Brien Saunders added, �The money each Workforce Development Council receives will go toward projects that will continue to train a highly skilled workforce for Washington state.�

The final decision on how to spend these discretionary funds is made by each Workforce Development Council, but all activities must fall under the Workforce Investment Act. In the past, the Workforce Development Councils have used these funds to provide staff training, customize training opportunities for current workers looking to increase their skills, and upgrade local WorkSource centers.

Awards are given to Councils that demonstrate high performance in categories such as employment, job retention, earnings gain and customer satisfaction for adults, displaced workers, and youth. The awards are determined by the Workforce Board and administered by the state�s Employment Security Department.

The award amounts are as follows:

Olympic $11,364
(Clallam, Kitsap and Jefferson counties)

Pacific Mountain $24,242
(Grays Harbor, Mason, Lewis, Thurston and Pacific counties)

Northwest $22,392
(Whatcom, Skagit, Island and San Juan counties)

Snohomish $33,939
(Snohomish County)

Seattle-King $45,185
(King County)

Pierce $39,079
(Pierce County)

Southwest $20,241
(Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, Skamania and Clark counties)

North Central $29,294
(Chelan, Okanogan, Grant, Douglas and Adams counties)

Tri-County $35,588
(Yakima, Kittitas and Klickitat counties)

Eastern $14,625
(Ferry, Pend Oreille, Garfield, Stevens, Columbia, Lincoln, Whitman, Asotin and Walla Walla counties)

Benton-Franklin $3,559
(Benton and Franklin counties)

Spokane $20,492
(Spokane County)


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