WWU's SBDC working with Northwest Workforce Council on new workforce training program

Western Washington University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is collaborating with Northwest Workforce Council to raise awareness of an initiative which helps small to medium sized businesses find and train candidates to fill open positions; the goal is to aid small business employers’ talent needs via participation in a public-private partnership involving workforce development funding.

“For some time now, our clients have reported they are having a tough time finding qualified candidates to fill some open positions,” said CJ Seitz, director of the Small Business Development Center at Western Washington University.

To address this challenge, the SBDC is facilitating an On The Job Training (OJT) program that offers employers up to $5,000 in wage reimbursements to hire and train a candidate who might not otherwise meet the minimum job qualifications.

Employers having a difficult time finding employees can now access the technical assistance they need to recruit, screen, select, train, and retain a quality work force. SBDC staff will work with local companies to determine if their open positions quality for this program.

“The process is fairly straightforward; and can move pretty quickly. We have already worked with a number of companies and those efforts have resulted in employers finding good candidates while saving considerable money in the on-boarding and training process,” said Seitz.

To find out more about how this program can help your company fill your open positions, call the SBDC at (360) 778.1762

About the SBDC:

Since 1983, the Small Business Development Center has enabled Western Washington University to give back to the business community and has helped to shape the economic future of Whatcom County. The SBDC provides free, confidential advising, technical assistance, and research to business owners and managers in an effort to help businesses thrive throughout Whatcom County. For more information, please visit http://sbdc.wwu.edu