The state’s Job Skills Program accelerates business reinvention
A little workshop opened in 2009 in Tumwater with a humble goal to warehouse and sell high-efficiency building materials. They sold tapes and membranes to seal homes from the elements, all while tampering with new ideas to improve home efficiency.
Fourteen years later, Small Planet Supply now produces a high-efficiency, high-capacity heat pump for apartment and office complexes that “talks” to the grid to pull power during non-peak hours.
It is a metamorphosis for a business to grow from a supplier to a manufacturer. And for such an evolution to occur, employees must also evolve to embrace a new modus operandi. The state’s Job Skills Program helps with exactly that.
The Job Skills Program connects employers with accredited Washington colleges and subsidizes training and reskilling programs. It helps businesses and their employees metamorphosize. And over the program’s 40 years, Small Planet Supply and more than 1,000 other Washington businesses have grown new wings.
40 years of impact
Washington’s Job Skills Program is now 40 years old. The program began in 1983 at the direction of the Legislature to help businesses and employees adapt to competitive forces and new technologies. When a new plant opens, the program helps train prospective employees to accelerate early operations. When an industry takes a turn, the program helps its workers discover new fields. And where companies are pushing the envelope, the program helps workers sharpen cutting-edge skills.
It’s an easy sell for businesses. Employees are trained onsite, on the business’ schedule, for specific business needs. Employers work with local community or technical colleges, public and nonprofit universities, and licensed private career schools to develop tailored training. And they pay for just 50% of the training in cash or in-kind payments like materials and wages.
“Employers get exactly the training they need on their schedule and their location, and employees learn valuable skills that will help them in their careers for years to come,” Carolyn McKinnon, who oversees the program for the State Board, said.
It’s a good deal for workers and communities, too. Workers in specialties where demand is waning have a chance to branch out, and ambitious up-and-comers can be introduced to new disciplines. Communities with high unemployment can nurture entrepreneurship and develop a workforce to attract new enterprises.
Since 1983, the program has educated more than 75,000 Washington workers.
“The Job Skills Program changes businesses and changes lives,” said Paul Francis, executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. “The program is an invaluable tool, supporting new and emerging industries, upgrading employee skills, and lifting communities struggling with high unemployment.”
Big changes at Small Planet Supply
Small Planet Supply’s CEO Albert Rooks is quick to action. He started his business after reading an article about “passive house” construction in The New York Times. Years later, encouraged by Washington state’s embrace of clean energy and efficient buildings, he knew that a pivot to manufacturing would yield returns.
Rooks reached out to Impact Washington for advice on his evolution, who encouraged that he apply for a Job Skills Program grant to help upskill staff. The grant was awarded, and managerial staff at Small Planet Supply began taking courses on manufacturing management while some floor staff took on new disciplines.
Ryan Shepp, formerly a warehouse worker, began a laser-cutting curriculum to help him contribute to manufacturing by fabricating custom parts. Shepp’s new title is “manufacturing supervisor,” and he’s a critical piece at Small Planet Supply by virtue of his precision making custom components for their products.
Baby steps in a new direction
Satsuma Designs is a contract cut-and-sew outfit in Seattle. They produce a line of organic baby clothes, and they also perform contract work for premiere international brands and local brands like Freeman, Hardmill, and Swaddle Designs. The business is strong — but it didn’t start that way.
CEO Jennifer Porter had 16 years of experience as a wholesale purchaser of school uniforms and sewn goods when she switched sides. A key supplier had packed up and moved production overseas, and Porter committed to undertake manufacturing herself. She spent nine months finding a space and setting up manufacturing before she was ready to produce school uniforms… in February 2020.
The pandemic doused demand for school uniforms, and Porter needed to pivot. She reached out to Impact Washington and successfully applied for a Job Skills Program grant to begin retooling her business for contract manufacturing with lean management and just-in-time inventory techniques.
“It’s amazing,” said Porter of the Job Skills Program. “It was a clear pathway to learn new processes. I could digest training info and implement a new method that day on my floor.”
Porter began to integrate principles of Kaizen, Lean, continual improvement, Toyota Kata, and more into her business. Tactic by tactic, her business took a new shape. As new contracts passed through her work floor, she began to survey her workers daily, “How did it go today?” Floor staff would respond with a simple happy, neutral, or sad face to assess the relative challenge of a contract. In aggregate, Porter collected enough data to evaluate contracts and determine how much work and what types of projects to prioritize.
“If you want repeat business in manufacturing, you have to be the highest quality,” said Porter. “The JSP gave us solid tools to train high-quality team members, secure contracts, and plan for a bright future.”
Although a bumpy road forced Satsuma Designs towards a new direction to start, the business is now sailing smoothly thanks in part to lessons learned from the Job Skills Program.
“I’ve had hard goals in place for revenue growth and staff growth — I’ve exceeded those.” said Porter. “I’m surrounded by women and I really like that — joy and laughter is pretty much rampant here.”
Helping a good program grow
From July 2021 to September 2022, the Job Skills Program awarded 109 grants to fund 6,782 employees in 908 courses. Most of the grants — 64% — went to the manufacturing industry, including companies in aerospace, wood and paper products, electronics and high-tech, composites and marine. Grants were also awarded to companies in food production, agriculture, construction, environmental services, health, retail, and hospitality. Small businesses also saw the most benefit, with 60% of grants going to companies with 100 or fewer employees.
Gov. Jay Inslee and the Legislature have recognized the program’s success and have expanded its funding over the years. The 2021–23 biennial budget included $10 million toward the program.
“I’ve seen firsthand the businesses that this program has catalyzed, and I’ve talked to the employees who have reinvented themselves with new skills,” said Inslee. “It’s a real evolution that happens. And the state helps pay for it. You can’t beat that for a business.”
