Published March 2003

Welfare-to-work initiative honored by state

SCBJ Staff

The Basic Life Skills program, implemented by Everett and Edmonds community colleges with the help of local WorkFirst offices, recently was recognized by Washington state as an innovative way to help families make the transition from welfare to work.

The Snohomish County and South Snohomish County WorkFirst program is one of three in the state to receive an innovation award. Other programs include the Employability Certificates program developed in the Spokane-Lincoln WorkFirst planning area and the Workshops for WorkFirst Participants program developed in the Asotin-Garfield-Whitman WorkFirst area.

The Basic Life Skills program was created as a prelude to college job skills training, keeping WorkFirst participants engaged in activities that prepare them for work while they wait to begin training in such areas as customer service, finance and office work, and medical office specialist skills.

Through the program, computer programs are used to enable students to work at their own pace with support from an instructor to increase math, reading and comprehension skills. At the same time, students develop good work behavior skills, the state noted in announcing the winners.

In the past, winners of the annual award received cash bonuses, but the state is unable to provide them this year due to limited revenue, said Roxanne Lowe, executive policy analyst with the state Office of Financial Management.

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