WorkSource is an agency funded by state and federal grants to help you get back to work. How do we work this magic? By providing resources, support services, and job training so that our customers can overcome barriers and thrive.
While our resume reviews, mock interviews, and resource room are available to all job seekers, training and support services come with eligibility criteria.
So, what makes you eligible?
The truth is that eligibility can be hard to understand without the help of an Employment Specialist. If you’re not sure, you should absolutely visit your local center to get screened by a pro. But there’s a handful of common circumstances you might recognize that may be your ticket to a training scholarship.
This list is by no means exhaustive, so if you don’t see yourself on this list, visit your local center to get screened!
- Receiving or exhausting your unemployment benefits.
If you’re on unemployment, you’ll likely be able to receive job training dollars from WorkSource.
If you’ve exhausted your unemployment benefits, meaning that you collected your unemployment until there was nothing left to collect, then you’re likely eligible as well.
Your best first step to learning about your options for training is to attend our Employment and Training Orientations that occur every Thursday in Vancouver from 1-2 p.m., or in Kelso every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
- Displaced homemaker (No longer supported by a spouse’s income)
Many of WorkSource’s dollars are dedicated to helping people we call dislocated workers. Dislocated workers can be people who have been laid off, terminated, been affected by a business or plant closure, mass lay off, or are a displaced homemaker.
A displaced homemaker is someone who previously was reliant on their spouse’s income, but because of reasons such as divorce, death, or a spouse’s job loss, now must return to the workforce.
If you were a homemaker who is now searching for work, WorkSource may be able to help you with job training for an in-demand career.
- 200% below or above the federal poverty line
WorkSource can also help those who are at 200% of the federal poverty line and below. One additional caveat to this though is that if a household is above 200% of the poverty line, they may still be eligible if they’re in danger of falling below it.
There are six ways that a household can make a reasonable claim to being in danger of falling below the poverty line.
- Recent or pending lay-off or upcoming loss of employment.
- Change or increase in family size.
- Loss of housing.
- Previously incarcerated or justice-involved individuals.
- End of unemployment insurance payments or other public assistance.
- Status as a recent victim of domestic violence or stalking.
- Impacted by the opioid crisis
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 75% of deaths by drug overdose in 2021 involved the use of opioids. And in Washington state alone, deaths by opioid drug overdoses have nearly doubled from 2019 to 2021.
WorkSource has funds to help those who have been impacted by the opioid crisis so that they can get trained for an in-demand career. It’s important to note that impact does not necessarily need to be defined as firsthand experience as a previous user, as there are many ways that this crisis could impact someone.
If you think you’ve been impacted and would like to learn more about job training options, reach out to Heather Fox (Vancouver) at heather.fox@esd.wa.gov or call at 360.735.5005 or Kristine Williams (Kelso) at kristine.williams@esd.wa.gov or call at 360.578.4211.
- Was self-employed, but now unemployed due to the economic crisis
The Center for American Progress reports that roughly 10.4% of the total working population is self-employed.
If you were a freelancer or otherwise self-employed, but are now unemployed due to an economic crisis, WorkSource can help you too!
If you fit into any of the above categories, you may be able to access support services and job training that can help you change your life. Are you ready to get your start in an in-demand career? Don’t wait, call or visit your local center today!
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