GRANTEE:                Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County

ADDRESS:                2003 Western Avenue, Suite 250

                                    Seattle, Washington 98121-2162

AMOUNT:                 $3,000,000

DURATION:             December 16, 2002 - December 15, 2004

POPULATION SERVED:    550 to 720 incumbent workers and 48 low-income workers in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, Washington state.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION:       Increase the skills of incumbent and dislocated workers across ten high-demand information technology occupations:  programming/software engineering, web development/administration, database development/administration, digital media, network design and administration, quality assurance/QA testing, enterprise systems analysis/integration, IT project management, technical support and information security.  Training vouchers will enable participants to enroll in any of the region’s 18 community and technical colleges and universities and numerous private schools.  Washington State post-secondary educational institutions work together to deliver IT programs infused with nationally validated skills standards.  Training activities will vary widely from updating current skills or increasing skill level training through a single course or multiple courses to attaining vendor or non-vendor specific certifications, specialty certifications or degree completion.

KEY PARTICIPANTS:         Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County, Society for Information Management, National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies, Regional Advanced Technology Education Consortium,, Seattle Jobs Initiative, Bellevue Community College, City of Seattle/International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 17, King County Department of Health/IFPTE Local 17, Interlinq Software, Bsquare, Johnson Controls, Verizon Wireless, Weyerhauser, Sogeti, ImprintStore.com, Red Hook Brewery, Aster Technology Institute, Coinstar, Airborne Express, AT&T Wireless, Korry Electronics and Conjugi Networks, Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Boeing Company, Microsoft Corporation, Wells Fargo Bank, WSA (formerly American Electronics Association), Asian Counseling and Referral Services, Center for Career Alternatives, Central Area Motivation Program, Seattle Indian Center, Washington Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, YWCA, Bates Technical College, Cascadia Community College, Clover Park Technical College, Edmonds Community College, Everett Community College, Green River Community College, Highline Community College, Lake Washington Technical College, North Seattle Community College, Pierce College, Puget Sound Center, Renton Technical College, Seattle Central Community College, Shoreline Community College, South Seattle Community College, Tacoma Community College, University of Washington – UW Extension, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Tacoma-Pierce County Employment and Training Consortium.

MEDIA CONTACT: Ed Phippen

                                                (206) 448-0474