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Tacoma Training and Employment Program

Purpose of the Tacoma Training and Education Program (TTEP)

The purpose of the Tacoma Training and Education Program (TTEP) is to “establish a means of providing for the development of a trained and capable workforce, possessing the skill and ability to fully participate in building and construction trades and technical and career fields in Tacoma”. The intent of the program is to provide training and education opportunities for Tacoma residents that creates a diverse pool of qualified workers from which the City of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Utilities can hire employees. Additionally, improved employment opportunities for youth would support a healthy local economy. 

 

Background of TTEP Operations

Over the years, the operation of this program has varied in response to the local economy and the orientations of the organizations operating the program. Currently, the program is called TTEP and uses a pre-apprenticeships model that includes the following components:


1. Employment Readiness Training
2. Case management and mentoring to address barrier reduction that supports program completions;
3. Participants Support Services that include math and reading classes to achieve 9th grade level prior to graduation, work related clothing, tools and transportation;
4. Participation in Pre-Apprenticeships training program that includes a construction- related math component; and
5. Job placement assistance with Tacoma Public Utilities, the City of Tacoma, Local Employment and Apprenticeship (LEAP) employers that must comply with Local Section 3 hiring policy, and private construction firms.

 

TTEP recruits unemployed or under-employed individuals, and orients and screens potential participants on several criteria. Participants then complete a week of soft skills and team-building activities, a physical assessment, and a mock interview. Successful participants then continue through a 10-week building trades curriculum, currently called the Trade Occupations Opportunity Learning (TOOL) Center, while receiving case management, basic supports for individual needs, a stipend based on participation milestones, and job placement assistance. 

 

TTEP is funded by the City of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Utilities and includes several organizations in a broad-based and collaborative partnership.

 

Goals

The primary goal of TTEP is to ensure the development of a trained workforce so that a work- ready pool of applications is available for hire in trades and trades-support positions at the City of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Utilities. The secondary goal, in lieu of hire at the City of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Utilities, is for graduates to enter into employment or into a certified apprenticeship program that will lead to journey level employment. This effort also reflects the desire of the City of Tacoma to support a local workforce that represents the diverse population of city residents. 

TTEP aims to level the playing field with training, resources and employment opportunities so that more citizens can earn better wages.

 

For more information about this program and upcoming orientations, please visit the Sound Outreach website.

Contact Us

Kacee Woods

Equity in Contracting & Workforce Programs Manager

(253) 244-2613

Email

 

Deborah Trevorrow

LEAP & Workforce Programs

(253) 316-3057

Email

 



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