Category Archives: Education & Training

Poulsbo store hosts state’s first Walmart training academy

The inaugural class of Walmart’s first training academy in Washington will don caps and gowns in Poulsbo next week.

The new training center at the Poulsbo Walmart Supercenter is among 200 the retail giant plans to open in the next year.

The academies are aimed at helping department managers and hourly supervisors gain retail skills and the knowledge needed to run their specific departments, according to a news release. Participants receive two weeks of hands-on training in classrooms and on the sales floor.

A ceremony for the Poulsbo academy graduates is scheduled for 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Port Orchard preschool breaking ground on new building

Tad Sooter

South Kitsap’s Stepping Stones Learning Center and Preschool will soon step into a new building.

The Christian education center announced plans last week to construct a 5,000-square-foot facility at 1914 Pottery Ave. in Port Orchard.

The building will include three classrooms, recreation space and offices. Plans call for 25 parking spaces and a fenced outdoor play area.

The city recently issued site development permits for the project, according to the news release. Port Orchard-based Pristine Homes is the contractor.

A groundbreaking celebration is scheduled for 3-4 p.m. Monday. The facility is expected to be ready by the start of the 2017-18 school year.

Meeting scheduled for new Bainbridge school campus

Tad Sooter

Neighbors can get an early look at plans for a new private school campus on Bainbridge Island this month.

madrona.lot — Site location. Click to enlarge.

A public participation meeting for Madrona School‘s planned facility at 11478 North Madison Ave. will be held from 6:30-8 p .m., July 18 at City Hall Council Chambers.

The K-8 Waldorf school currently shares space with Eagle Harbor Congregational Church in Winslow. About 130 students attend the school each year, according to its website.

Madrona’s new campus will be constructed on a 1.3-acre property just north of the intersection with NE Valley Road (see the inset image above).

Plans for the complex include classrooms, assembly space, offices, a playfield, 39-parking spaces, stormwater infrastructure and on-site septic, according to pre-application materials submitted to the city in June. An existing single-family residence, barn and sheds will be demolished.

The public participation meeting is a mandatory step in the city’s permitting process.

$97,000 awarded for youth job skills programs

Tad Sooter

431751_5554031_ver1.0_640_480 The state awarded more than $97,000 to a local workforce development agency to create internships and training opportunities for young people, according to a news release.

The YouthWorks funding was awarded to the Olympic Workforce Development Area Consortium, which oversees WorkSource offices in Kitsap, Clallam and Jefferson Counties.

YouthWorks is a collaborative program between workforce councils, schools and other educational agencies to provide job search skills, career assessments and work experience jobs to high school dropouts and other youth re-engaging with school after dropping out.

Locally, the YouthWorks project will partner with Olympic Educational Services District, West Sound Technical Skills Center, Olympic College, West Sound STEM and Stand Up for Kids, an organization that reaches out to homeless youth to teach basic life skills.

“This YouthWorks investment opens wonderful opportunities for our youth to gain valuable work skills and experiences,” County Commissioner and Olympic Consortium Chair Charlotte Garrido said in the release. “It will enhance our local workforce and spur our economy.”

Subdivision, dog training center planned on Bainbridge Island

Tad Sooter

Planning activity is picking up on Bainbridge this year, with a bevy of land use proposals in various stages of permitting.

Here’s a look at proposals for a residential subdivision and an assistance dog training center:

Winslow Grove subdivision

The applicant: DeNova Northwest of Kent. They’re also behind the “Ashbury” subdivision between Wyatt and Shepard.

The property: Four parcels totaling 8.77 acres west of Weaver Road, across from the Rotary Park ball fields (pictured above).

There’s a 1,500-square foot rambler on the main parcel.

The proposal: A subdivision creating 19 residential lots, surrounding a street and cul-de-sac, with access from Weaver (see inset image).

Next steps: The city has posted a notice of application for the project. A SEPA comment period will be open until March 4.

Assistance dog training center

The applicant: Assistance Dogs of Hawaii, a national non-profit organization

The property: A 4.3-acre vacant parcel at the corner of Bucklin Hill Road and Ridge Lane.

It’s next door to the American Legion hall and across from Hyla Middle School.

The proposal: The project would create two buildings, each about 1,800 square feet.

One building (pictured above) would be a teaching barn to provide training for students and assistance dogs. The other building would house an instructor/caretaker and two students.

Lawns, a courtyard and parking lot are also planned. The development would be tucked in the northwest corner of the property, with access from Ridge Lane (not Bucklin).

Wenzlau Architects is designing the center. You can see more preliminary plans here.

Next steps: The proposal is in the pre-application phase. A public participation meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m., March 1 at Waterfront Park Community Center, 370 Brien Drive.

Concentrix files official layoff notice with state

Tad Sooter

Concentrix gave the state official notice Wednesday of plans to close its East Bremerton call center.

As we reported last week, the closure will impact about 500 employees.

The official WARN notice reports 520 positions are being cut, though Concentrix spokeswoman Jyllene Miller told me fewer than 500 people are currently employed at the center.

Miller said the displaced employees will be given priority for “a few hundred” work-at-home jobs Concentrix is hiring for.

The center is slated to close March 4, according to the WARN notice. Concentrix will continue paying employees through March 28.

A team from the local WorkSource office is responding to the call center to provide employees with information about unemployment insurance claims, retraining opportunities and job leads. Kitsap WorkSource Administrator Margaret Hess said a forum for employees is being planned.

This isn’t the only WARN notice being filed by a Kitsap employer this week. We also received word defense contractor BAE Systems will lay off 68 workers in Silverdale by the end of March.

Tuesday event showcases entrepreneur training program

Tad Sooter

showcase More than 1,100 aspiring entrepreneurs have received training through Kitsap’s BE$T program in the past 14 years.

About 40 of the businesses that BE$T helped launch will be showcased during a Tuesday event at the Bremerton Elks Lodge. The showcase will also honor the most recent graduates from the program, which is now administered by Kitsap Community Resources.

The BE$T (Business Education Support Training) program provides classes for people interested in starting their own businesses and ongoing support for established businesses. The “boot camps” cover a a wide range of topics including business plans, marketing, taxes, licensing and insurance.

Tuition assistance is available for low-income applicants.

“A lot of entrepreneurs are trying to start a businesses on a shoestring,” Program Manager Dayna Ebersole said.

showcase.2 Last year 92 participants graduated from the eight-week training course, resulting in 32 business startups, according to the program’s website. Another 67 existing businesses received counseling and training.

The program got its start as Washington CASH. But the CASH organization lost its grant funding in 2012 and Kitsap Community Resources took on the local the training program locally.

KCR Executive Director Larry Eyer said BE$T complement’s the organization’s other services.

“We think it’s a great fit, because our mission is to help people become economically successful, and become self sufficient,” he said.

The BE$T showcase is scheduled for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at 4131 Pine Road NE. Businesses that have benefitted from BE$T will showcase their goods and services. Guest speakers include Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent and state Sen. Christine Rolfes.

For more information on BE$T, call 360-473-2141 or visit the program’s website.

The event is part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. Kitsap Economic Development Alliance has a full listing of Kitsap GEW events.

Courtesy photos

CoderDojo finds permanent home

Tad Sooter

West Sound CoderDojo, a free computer programing workshop for kids, has landed a permanent home at Western Washington University’s Olympic College center in Poulsbo.

West Sound Technology Association booted up the CoderDojo this spring as a nomadic program, offering courses at different places around the county. The partnership with WWU will give coders a consistent meeting space.

West Sound Coder Dojo’s first class at the WWU center in Poulsbo will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 11. Tickets are free but registration is required.

You can read more about CoderDojo’s move here and find my story about the program here.

Check the West Sound Technology Association website for information about upcoming classes.

Fundraiser launched for West Sound CoderDojo

Tad Sooter

Last Saturday I sat in on the first meeting of West Sound CoderDojo.

The group was organized by West Sound Technology Association to offer computer programming classes to kids and their parents, as part of the global CoderDojo movement.

The Saturday classes are free for participants and staffed by volunteers, but of course they cost money to host.

CoderDojo meetings require large gathering spaces with Wi-Fi connectivity, and the group tries to provide loaner laptops for kids who don’t have them.

West Sound CoderDojo just launched a GoFundMe campaign to help fund their courses. The group is hoping to raise $10,000. The campaign is posted here.

Entrepreneurship Week events begin Monday

Tad Sooter

The Kitsap business community will mark Global Entrepreneurship Week with a lineup of forums and workshops.

Topics for the seven scheduled discussions range from creating innovative places of business, to managing social media, and the universally-relevant subject of “How Not To Screw Up.”

Events begin Monday and wrap up Friday. You can see the schedule below and find more detailed information at the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance website.

GEW Flyer 2014 Final