Washington Business Summer 2017 | Washington Business | Page 41

business backgrounder | education & workforce
Train Now, Pay Later
Washington’s Customized Training Program brings together
businesses and the state’s community and technical colleges
to provide tailored, job-specific skills — plus a B&O tax credit
for participating.
Brian Mittge
Businesses can work with their local community and technical colleges to receive specialized
training for their employees for no up-front cost, with 18 months to pay for the training. The program
has helped thousands of employees since being created 10 years ago, and new legislation this
year has made the program a permanent part of the workforce development landscape.
At A Glance
When it comes to training workers, Washington has a strong and growing collaboration
between employers and community colleges — and thanks to a law passed this session, that
decade-old program is now a permanent addition to the educational landscape.
The Washington Customized Training Program (CTP) was created by the Legislature
in 2006. This year, the Legislature renewed the program and removed the expiration date,
ensuring that this revolving fund can continue bringing custom-made education to fit
employers and their employees.
Since its inception, the program has trained (or is in the process of training) 2,300
employees, serving 60 unique businesses, mostly small- to medium-sized employers in
collaboration with their local community and technical colleges.
One of those businesses is Jamco America, which has been making aerospace interiors
in Everett since 1982 and employs 380 people.
The company has used the CTP funds several times to bring focused industry training
to its employees.
“They have benefited by increasing their understanding, and then folding their
understanding back into improving our processes,” said Lorri Miller, who recently retired
The state’s Customized Training
Program was created in 2007 to
help businesses, especially small-
and medium-sized firms, tap into a
revolving fund of no-interest loans that
pay for employee training. Businesses
have 18 months to pay for the training,
and are eligible for a 50 percent B&O
tax credit as they repay.
The business’s local community or
technical college provides the training
that is relevant to the workplace, from
basic education and English skills to
technical instruction and certification.
With a severe impending workforce
shortage for all industry areas in
Washington, innovative efforts like
the Customized Training Program
are helping businesses nurture job
creation and growth.
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