PR Newswire
A career fair event geared toward the technology and engineering fields will be held May 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel, 1400 Sixth Ave.
Job-seekers with technology and engineering skills will be able to speak with recruiting representatives from tech and healthcare companies, as well as local government agencies.
Preregistration is recommended at www.dicecareerfairs.com where attendees will also find a complete list of companies attending. read more »
OLYMPIA — A bill signed into law May 2 by Gov. Jay Inslee will make employee training more affordable for Washington small businesses.
SHB 1247, sponsored by state Rep. Drew Hansen, D-Bainbridge Island, makes it easier for small businesses to train employees in partnership with community and technical colleges by removing a dollar-for-dollar match formerly required under state law. Small businesses with less than $500,000 in annual gross business income are now only required to pay the usual salary and benefits during training.
“We need to help people upgrade their skills so they can stay current in a fast-changing economy,” Hansen said. “This bill helps small businesses work with community colleges to make sure their employees are well-trained so they can stay and grow in their jobs.” read more »
A state-funded project to create low-cost digital textbooks for community college courses has saved students about $5 million in just a few years, advocates say.
The figure represents the cost difference between commercial textbooks, which can cost hundreds of dollars apiece, and free digital books written by Washington faculty members that cover the same subjects.
The project, called the Open Course Library, has employed dozens of Washington community college faculty members to create textbooks and other curriculum materials for 81 of the most commonly taken community college classes — such as psychology, biology and precalculus. The materials are freely available and open to anyone, not just students in this state. read more »
More than 500 students around the world now have taken an online basic course in growing lavender offered by Layrinth Hill Lavender in Hasville, CEO Susan Harrington reports.
A pre-spring surge of 35 prospective lavender growers — including the first from South Africa — have added to registrants in the U.S., Canada and nine other countries. Most are interested in growing lavender as a commercial crop. Others look for guidance in growing the fragrant herb in their garden landscapes.
“With students in such diverse climate locations as Ireland and England, Poland, Italy, Australia, Eygpt, Bermuda, Mexico and Brazil, we like to think we’re helping put Kitsap County on the map,” Harrington said. read more »
WASHINGTON — It was billed as a briefing for members of Washington’s congressional delegation and their staff members about the dismal state of science and math education in American public schools.
But it was obvious just minutes into the event at the U.S. Capitol on March 19 that the lawmakers needed no warning from Microsoft and other technology employers that Washington state and the nation need to revamp the way they educate future engineers and computer programmers.
Five of the state’s 12 members of Congress showed up to speak in support of improving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education — an issue Microsoft and other high-tech companies have linked to the current debate on immigration reform, including raising quotas on temporary work visas for foreigners with specialty skills like computer science. read more »
Kitsap Community Resources has announced that its Business Education Support & Training program (BE$T) will be providing entrepreneurial training to Kitsap residents in low-income situations who want to start or expand a business.
The next “Get Ready for Business Boot Camp and Orientation” will be March 19 at 6 p.m. at the KCR Community Resource Building, 1201 Park Ave. in Bremerton. The session is free to anyone interested.
For program information and preregistration, contact BE$T program manager and business specialist Stuart Walton at swalton [at] kcr [dot] org, or call 360-473-2141 or 206-914-4824. read more »
The Chiropractic Lifestyle Center in East Bremerton will host its second annual free class on metabolic detoxification at 6 p.m. on Feb. 18 at the center, 991 NE Ridell Road.
Anyone who is tired of feeling tired, frustrated with recurring muscle aches, headaches, bloating and constipation, brain fog, or insomnia, can come and learn about how these and many other common symptoms of disease can be caused by toxins in the body.
The instructor, Kevin Strawn from Metagenics, will explain the process of detoxification and show how people can enhance their well-being through this basic process. read more »
Women who work in education acknowledge it’s not necessarily a generously paying field, but they find it very rewarding, whether it’s in the public or private sector.
“There are some amazing minds in education. The diversity of the skillset required of a teacher or administrator is incredible,” said Barrie Hillman, head of school for West Sound Academy in Poulsbo.
From arts and sports to primary and adult education, numerous Kitsap Peninsula women have made it their mission to help both children and adults learn and grow. The KPBJ is featuring a small group of these dedicated women. read more »
The state’s prepaid college tuition program should be shut down to new contributions this year and eventually closed when the last account-holders are paid off, a legislative advisory committee will recommend this week.
The committee, headed by Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom, D-Medina, was expected to release a report Jan. 16 recommending an end to the Guaranteed Education Tuition program, or GET.
The popular program, the second-largest of its kind in the country, has about 120,000 active accounts, set up by parents and grandparents to pay tuition bills years before they come due. It has about $2 billion in assets and is underfunded by about $631 million. read more »
