• skip to page content • font size: A A A

WorkFirst at Pierce College


What is WorkFirst?

WorkFirst is Washington State's welfare reform program that helps financially struggling families find jobs, keep jobs, get better jobs and build a better life.

Pierce College can help WorkFirst and low-income working parents gain skills necessary for higher wages, better jobs, and further advancement.

How Do I Get Started?

For Example:

WorkFirst success stories.

Desi and Danika: success through
Work First.

If you talk to Danika Rhodes or Desi Holmes, you can understand how valuable the Work First program has been to them. These two young women, both single parents, both recent graduates of the Medical Front Office program, are both working for Franciscan Medical Group after doing an 11-week certificate program and an 8-week internship. They are excited about the direction their lives are going in now.

Read more about their success stories . . .


Who is Eligible?

What careers can I train for?

Special funding may pay tuition and books for one quarter of training in:

For more programs, visit Professional Technical Programs.

WorkFirst and low-income parents may also participate in short-term, full time Customized Job Skills Training.

Note:

The following are NOT covered by the WorkFirst

What does special funding pay for?

What is customized job skills training?

Customized Job Skills Training (CJST) is a short-term full-time training program for eligible WorkFirst and low-income parents that is customized for specific employers or tied to a specific industry.

CJSTs must include industry-specific technical training, be tied to jobs with good labor market demand and target fields with better than average entry-level wages for the local area.

Pierce College currently offers two Customized Job Skills Training programs:

Corrections Officer Training students receive classroom instruction to include: report writing, supervision skills, dealing with difficult behavior, cross-cultural communication, career planning and job search. Within the 11-week training, students perform a 170–hour internship at a local correctional facility where they apply their skills and theory learned in the classroom.

Medical Services Representative students receive classroom instruction to include: introduction to ICD-9-CM, CPT and ADA coding, HIPPA training, medical terminology, patient registration, appointment setting, MS Office Applications, and customer service. After completing 11 weeks of classroom instruction, students apply industry skills and gain experience in an 8-week internship at a medical facility.

What is working connections child care?

The DSHS Working Connections Child Care Program helps low-income families pay for child-care. To be eligible, parents must be working or participating in a DSHS approved work activity.

To apply, call or go in to your local Community Services Office.

Locate a Community Service Office near your home.

What other assistance is available?

How do I get started?

To distribute funds to the greatest number of students in the most efficient manner, the WorkFirst Program requires students to apply for Federal Financial Aid as part of the qualification process.

Contact Workforce Development

Learn more about WorkFirst requirements, funding, work-study, child care referral and other services.