Revised On: March 1, 2017
The Education & Training Overview section includes:
A participant's employment plan may include education and training based on the results of the comprehensive evaluation , the strategy for stacking activities or the continuous activity planning (CAP) meeting.
The WorkFirst program offers several training options for participants and young adults to enhance their skills and employability. There are different rules and procedures to follow for the various options.
Education and training includes:
Education and training can be added to a participant's Individual Responsibility Plan (IRP) while on WorkFirst.
Under the new federal definitions, both basic education and ESL fall under the federal category of job skills training directly related to employment (and coded JT ) when a participant is participating in core activities. The participant's employment plan or education and training plan should document that the basic education or ESL is giving the participant skills needed for employment. Stand-alone ESL is coded ES and does not count towards participation.
DSHS staff can decide whether to code ESL as ES or JT based on whether the participant is participating in a core activity. Community and technical colleges will decide which eJAS code to use for all other WorkFirst education and training activities and add that information to the participant's education and training plan.
For more information about Life Skills training, please refer to section 7.3.6 - What is Independent Life Skills Training?
The following chapter sections give information about the approval process, monitoring and policy for each training option.
To calculate participation hours, use the actual hours the participant is in the education and training activities, to include classes, labs, and supervised study halls/tutoring sessions, and up to one hour of unsupervised study time for every scheduled hour of class time. Total homework time counted for participation cannot exceed the hours required or advised by a particular educational program.
Only classes with an expectation of homework may be eligible for unsupervised homework hours. If there is no homework expectation, we cannot claim homework hours.
Normally, we can claim one hour of homework time for each hour of scheduled class time. So, if a participant is scheduled to go to class for 5 hours a week, we can claim 5 hours of homework time a week, even if the participant misses some classes during the month.
However, if the participant drops out and is referred back to the CSO, we need to do things differently.
If a participant is referred back to the CSO, we can only claim one hour of homework time for each hour they actually attended class for that month. So, if a participant is scheduled to go to class for 5 hours a week beginning 5/1, attends class for 10 hours between 5/1 and 5/15 then drops out and is referred back to the CSO, we could only claim 10 hours of homework time for the month of May.
Every WorkFirst partner captures homework hours differently. For example:
For more information and links on how different partners capture and process homework hours, please see the Capturing Homework Hours chart.
Note: Homework cannot be counted as WorkFirst participation hours for Life Skills training.
DSHS staff will use a shortcut method to pick up most, but not all, countable homework hours from non-contracted, non-partner educational providers. They will:
Excused Absences
After two excused absences in a calendar month, the WorkFirst partner/provider will:
Unexcused Absences
After two unexcused absences in a calendar month, the WorkFirst partner/provider will:
ESD will:
This allows the participant to remain in the activity while the service provider, case manager and participant have an opportunity to discuss whether participation in this activity is appropriate.
If it is decided that the activity is not appropriate for the participant, the WorkFirst partner/provider will refer the participant back to DSHS.
For more on how to treat excused and unexcused absences, please refer to section 3.7.1.5.
Revised: September 20, 2021
Legal References:
The Vocational Education section includes:
The following sections give information about the requirements and approval process for each of these vocational educational options; Vocational Education (VE), Customized Job Skills Training (PE), High Wage/High Demand (HW) and Degree Completion (DC). There is a cumulative lifetime 12-month limit on vocational education with respect to counting toward federal participation.
There may be instances when basic skills education has been embedded by the college within a vocational educational training activity like Integrated Basic Skills and Training (IBEST) and Customized Job Skills Training (CJST). Such basic skills education may count as vocational educational training as long as it is short-term and is a necessary or regular part of the vocational educational training.
Whenever possible, recommend the participant pursue these vocational education activities on a full-time basis, as there is a lifetime 12-month limit on vocational education with respect to counting toward federal participation. See WFHB 1.2.3 for information about adding an additional three hours (preferably core activity hours) to the participant’s IRP when possible. In most cases, vocational education meets the strengthened participation requirements, but add an additional three hours core or non-core when feasible.
A participant who previously participated in a vocational educational activity may benefit from additional vocational education. There is a federal lifetime participation limit of 12-months in a vocational activity however VE activities may be extended to 24 months when the education program meets specific criteria under state law. See section 7.2.15 What is the Vocational Education Extension?
Education and Training Hours
To calculate participation hours, use the actual hours the participant is in the education and training activities, to include classes, labs, and supervised study halls/tutoring sessions and up to one hour of unsupervised study time for every scheduled hour of class time. Total homework time counted for participation can’t exceed the hours required or advised by a particular educational program.
For more information on how to calculate education and training hours, please refer to section 7.1.3.
Vocational education includes training that leads to a certificate or degree in a specific occupation. Vocational education programs are organized educational programs that directly relate to the preparation of individuals for employment in current or emerging occupations that require training other than a baccalaureate or advanced degree. To count as approvable vocational education for WorkFirst, the training must be provided by a:
Please see section 7.1.5 for a step-by-step guide for non-contracted/non-partner education activities.
As there is a time limit, whenever possible, recommend the participant pursue vocational education activities on a full-time basis to get the most out of the available months. Authorize vocational education as a Core Activity if the parent/caregiver participates in this activity for a minimum of 20 hours per week. Vocational education may be stacked with work or work-like activities if participants need additional activities to meet their participation requirements.
The 12-month lifetime limit of full-time vocational education and high-wage/high-demand activities may extend up to 24 months as long as it meets specific criteria. See section 7.2.15 What is the Vocational Education Extension?
CJST (coded as PE), formerly known as Pre-employment training, is an 8-22 week training program customized for specific employers or tied to a specific industry. CJSTs must include industry-specific technical training, correlate to jobs with good labor market demand, and target fields with better than average entry-level wages for the local area.
CJST is a Core Activity as long as the parent/caregiver participates in this activity for a minimum of 20 hours per week. Participants meeting the requirements for CJST must be able to begin the CJST within 30 days. During the 30-day or less waiting period, the WorkFirst staff should review other available work activities such as Community Service opportunities stacked with non-core activities to meet participation requirements.
CJSTs are reported as vocational education for federal participation requirements.
I-BEST combines vocational skill training with basic skills/English as a Second Language (ESL). It is considered full-time training and must meet full-time standards. Basic Education for Adults (BEdA)/ ESL instructors and professional-technical instructors work together in the classroom to provide participants with literacy education and workforce skills.
A participant who qualifies for BEdA/ESL according to the CASAS appraisal and who wants to learn language or basic skills in the context of a particular vocational skill area would benefit from I-BEST. Approve I-BEST for up to 12 months* or up to 24 months with approval of a vocational education extension when:
I-BEST is a vocational education (VE) program and, as such, is a Core Activity if the parent/caregiver participates in this activity for a minimum of 20 hours per week. I-BEST may be stacked with work or work-like activities if additional activities are needed to meet their participation requirements.
I-BEST programs are reported as vocational education (VE) for federal participation requirements.
Participants in approved education and training qualify for child care assistance and support services once it is added to their IRP. The WorkFirst staff may add VE or PE to the IRP when it is indicated as an appropriate activity in the comprehensive evaluation results or the CAP .
If the appropriate Employment Pathway is education and training then:
* If the employment plan recommendation or continuous activity planning isn’t appropriate, refer to Chapter 3, section 3.2.1 Comprehensive Evaluation.
Participants are required to engage in approved WorkFirst activities during summer school break. This may include other education and training, job preparation, or paid or unpaid work activities. Colleges provide many of these additional activities.
For participants who enroll in job preparation activities by the college during the summer break (i.e. Life Skills training):
College staff:
The WorkFirst staff:
If participants are:
Participants continuing to participate in vocational education activities during the summer break can remain in a VE component with no change to the IRP.
For participants who start employment during the summer break or increase their work hours, the WorkFirst staff reviews the participant's employment and updates the component and IRP as appropriate.
High-Wage, High-Demand and Degree Completion training – (eJAS components HW and DC) refers to vocational training programs that:
The rules for both types of training (High-Wage/High-Demand and Degree Completion) are basically the same and described in WAC 388-310-1000(4). Both are full-time training options for TANF recipients:
For both High-Wage, High Demand (HW) and Degree Completion (DC) training, the program must be in a High Wage, High Demand field as defined below.
If the above information isn’t available for the program but local staff believe the program meets the high wage and high demand criteria, staff should compile demand and wage information for which access is available.
Institutions authorized to provide HW and DC training may include:
For federal participation reporting purposes, HW and DC training is reported as a core activity and counts toward the 12-month lifetime limit* for Vocational Education. It should be as full-time as possible and can include both supervised and unsupervised homework time.
If a participant is participating in HW or DC less than full time, the WorkFirst staff must stack appropriate activities to bring the participant to full time participation.
To be approved, HW and DC training must start by the beginning of the next school quarter. During the waiting period, the WorkFirst staff should review other available work activities, such as Work Experience opportunities, stacked with non-core activities to meet participation requirements.
If a participant needs to wait longer for classes to begin, they must go directly to, or remain in, another activity according to their comprehensive evaluation or continuous activity planning (CAP).
WorkFirst staff may add High Wage/High Demand or Degree Completion training when it is identified as a goal of the participant and would be beneficial to their path forward towards financial stability, as indicated in the comprehensive evaluation using the Pathway Development Tool (PDT) or the CAP. Each educational program option has its own criteria. Each specific vocational certificate and degree program must also be approved. Please see the approval processes below for HW and DC.
HW and DC can be approved one-time only, barring an approved exception to policy. Participants must also:
Participants in approved education and training qualify for childcare assistance and support services once it is added to their IRP.
* If the employment plan recommendation or CAP isn’t appropriate, refer to Chapter 3, section 3.1-Comprehensive Evaluation.
* If the employment plan recommendation or CAP isn’t appropriate, refer to Chapter 3, section 3.2.1 - Comprehensive Evaluation.
* If the employment plan recommendation or CAP isn’t appropriate, refer to Chapter 3, section 3.2.1 - Comprehensive Evaluation.
The 12-month lifetime limit of full-time vocational education (VE) degree completion (DC) and high-wage/high-demand (HW) activities may extend up to 24 months.
Although participation beyond 12-months will not count toward the federal work participation rate, this opportunity allows additional support to families through their education pathway. WFPS should continue referrals to work or work-like activities in addition to education as appropriate if it helps participants expand their work skills while obtaining a certificate.
College staff review referrals for vocational education beyond 12-months to ensure the participant meets the extension criteria outlined in SBCTC WorkFirst Delivery Agreement, Vocational Education Extension Policy. To qualify for the vocational education extension the participant must be one of the following:
Once college staff determine a participant’s eligibility for the extension, they include the following information in the Education and Training Worksheet and Client Notes in eJAS:
WorkFirst staff determine if extension criteria is met when the participant is enrolled in an education program at an institution other than a Washington State community or technical college.
To qualify for the vocational education extension, the participant must be able to complete their program of study within 24 months and meet one of the following:
The WorkFirst staff documents in eJAS under Literacy/Learning note type:
Revised October 16, 2022
Legal References:
The Basic Education, Skills Enhancement, High School Completion & High School Equivalency section includes:
The WorkFirst program offers education and training opportunities in addition to vocational education to prepare participants for employment. See the Stacking Activities section for more information about stacking education and skill-building activities with core activities to help participants gain necessary proficiencies and meet their participation requirements.
To calculate participation hours, use the actual hours the participant is in education and training activities, including classes, labs, supervised study halls/tutoring sessions, and up to one hour of unsupervised study time for every scheduled hour of class time. Total homework time counted for participation can’t exceed the hours required or advised by an educational program.
For more information on how to calculate education and training hours, please refer to section 7.1.3.
These activities and codes include:
High School Equivalency classes - Classes that help participants earn a high school equivalency certificate by passing a series of proficiency tests.
High School Completion - Educational course work preparing a participant to earn a high school diploma.
The College staff works with all participants in approved training as follows:
The participant meets with the WFPS/WFSSS.
Based on the comprehensive evaluation, assessment and other meetings such as Continuous Activity Planning (CAP), the WFPS/WFSSS:
Determines with the participant if education and training options are likely appropriate using the Stacking Activity Chart.
Creates the Individual Responsibility Plan (IRP).
Uses the HS, BE, or GE code and assign to the appropriate contractor code. If the activity is through a non-contracted provider, assign the component to yourself or the contractor that requested the activity for the participant.
Basic Education increases a participant's basic skills competencies and ability to find work, to include English as a Second Language (ESL). Basic Education gives participants skills needed for employment, such as the ability to understand English, read, write and do basic math. To count Basic Education towards participation, WorkFirst partners must:
See Section 5.2, Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Pathway for additional information about requirements and coding for ESL instruction.
Skills Enhancement training (called job skills training in WAC 388-310-1050) is training that enhances a participant’s employability by providing specific skills that are marketable to employers. It can include:
The following may provide Skills Enhancement training:
You can add Skills Enhancement training to a participant's IRP when they:
Training institutions measure Skills Enhancement training by credits or credit hours. Some courses last less than one day while others take several weeks. The WorkFirst Program Specialist/WorkFirst Social Service Specialist (WFPS/WFSSS) estimates the scheduled hours of participation based on the instructor's feedback or education plan and enters the amount in the Individual Responsibility Plan (IRP). When the participant is attending a community or technical college, up to one hour of unsupervised study time may count for every scheduled hour of class time. Total homework time counted for participation can’t exceed the hours required or advised by an educational program.
Use the following eJAS codes for participants in basic education or skills enhancement training:
Life skills training prepares participants to meet the demands of everyday life and employment. Programs are locally designed and operated to maximize available resources to best serve the participants within the community.
Life skills training can:
Life skills training may include topics such as:
Life Skills/Soft Skills training prepares participants to meet the demands of everyday life and employment. It may be employment related and an up-front introduction that helps prepare them to participate in activities effectively. It doesn’t completely address and resolve family issues.
For federal reporting, Life Skills is a time-limited core activity in the same category as job search/job preparation. This activity can be used by itself or stacked with other activities in order to reach full time participation.
Code Independent Life Skills training as "LS" on the eJAS component screen.
Refer to section 4.1.6 What is Life Skills training as part of Career Scope activities? More information on Life Skills training stacked with job search activity can be found in section 7.3.7.
Don’t separately code life skills/soft skills training embedded in other Job Preparation activities. It is coded and federally reported as part of these activities:
WorkFirst allows seasonally employed workers the opportunity to meet their WorkFirst requirements by working during the peak season and pursuing full time training in the off season. Other training or education, including basic education such as Adult Basic Education (ABE), GED, or English as a Second Language (ESL), may be appropriate in combination with vocational training, depending on the needs of the participant.
Seasonal employment reflects a consistent pattern of employment and unemployment, characterized by regular, periodic (seasonal) layoffs. Employment Security Department (ESD) staff determine the seasonal worker status based on the participant’s normal pattern of employment.
The seasonal worker training is for individuals who:
Include seasonal worker training in the participant’s IRP when Employment Security Department determines the participant is a seasonal worker and the community and technical colleges approve the training.
WFPS/WFSSSs and employment counselors develop IRPs and Success Plans that maximize opportunities for wage progression once they determine approval of training. Community and Technical Colleges design individualized training plans and WorkFirst Financial Aid to pay for the training.
Community and Technical College staff monitor the seasonal worker training according to the type of training added to the IRP. For example, if the training is vocational education, then the WFPS and college staff track participation and monitor progress according to the policy around vocational education. This also applies to determining the actual hours of time for the activity.
The LEP Pathway section describes when to approve ESL and other training for limited-English proficient participants. Refer to the LEP Pathway section when the participant can’t participate in core activities until their English proficiency improves.
Basic education, skills enhancement training (JT), or high school completion/high school equivalency (HS/GE/BE) may include ESL training as part of their activities.
* If the employment plan recommendation or CAP is not appropriate, refer to Chapter 3.2.
** For Dependent Teens/Teen Parents, and Pregnant and Parenting Minors, refer to Chapter 1.2.
Legal References:
The Other Education & Degree completion section includes:
There are other education and training activities available to WorkFirst parents. Each parent is unique and has strengths and abilities. As we work with parents to develop a plan to reach sustainable self-sufficiency, it is important that we match the best education activity with that individual parent's needs. The education and training activities in this section, however, may not count toward our federal participation rate.
Parents may pursue educational activities on their own, such as academic transfer programs, and still meet the Washington State WorkFirst program participation requirements as long as they combine it with employment of a minimum of 20 hours per week, 16-19 hours per week work study, or an approved internship/practicum (see Internship/Practicum for details).
When parents let you know that they have signed themselves up for educational or training classes on their own:
The college's WorkFirst Coordinator can help determine which eJAS component code to enter into eJAS. If the education is countable, the parent will qualify for child care assistance and support services. If the education isn't countable, you will be instructed to use the VU code. If the parent refuses to provide the information you need to determine whether the education is countable, code the education or training as VU.
The VU code in eJAS will let you know that the education portion of the parent's IRP doesn't count toward federal participation and doesn't qualify for support services.
The WFPS/WFSSS:
Legal References:
The Internships and Practicums section includes:
Internships and practicums are supervised practical training at a workplace that is required to complete an educational program. Internships and practicums are unpaid work experiences.
An example of in internship is the student teaching requirement that a student must conduct in order to obtain a teaching certificate. Another example is the practical work experience a nursing student obtains as part of the requirement to complete the course of training. WorkFirst categorizes unpaid internships and practicums as work experience (WEX).
There are some types of internships and practicums that can be used to meet an individual's work requirement for up to 12 months. To qualify, the internship or practicum must be required to complete a course of vocational training that will result in a license or certificate in a high-demand field or determined to enhance the parent's training and future employability.
According to state and federal law, parents cannot be required to engage in unpaid work for more hours than their monthly grant amount plus their monthly food stamp amount divided by the federal, state, or local minimum wage, whichever is higher. College WorkFirst personnel will coordinate with the WFPS/WFSSS to ensure that the number of hours a parent is scheduled to participate in the WEX meets FLSA requirements. For a detail summary on FLSA, see Chapter 3.3.2.5 How to Deem.
For nonexempt two-parent families, the maximum number of work experience hours can be split between the two parents.
Internships and practicums are unpaid work experiences. State and federal law require a parent in work experience be covered by state industrial insurance or a comparable industrial insurance. This coverage is sometimes referred to as workman's compensation or L& I.
The colleges will pay L& I coverage for unpaid work experiences, such as Internships and Practicums, which are part of the parent's education and training plan.
The WorkFirst Program Specialist (WFPS) adds an unpaid internship or practicum to the person's IRP as work experience if it is required to complete a training program that will result in a license or certificate or determined to enhance the parent's training and future employability.
Other Core and Non-core Activities, such as Vocational Education or Skills Enhancement Training, may be stacked with Internships/practicums as needed to reach full-time participation, generally 32-40 hours per week. See WFHB 1.2.3 for additional information about adding an additional three hours (preferably core activity hours) in the parent’s IRP when possible. Don’t exceed the FLSA maximum hours for work experience. You can substitute non-core hours for core hours as needed to stay within the FLSA maximum.
Depending on the design of the training program, an unpaid internship or practicum may be attached to either the end of the training period or utilized at strategic points during the training.
When parents need an unpaid internship/practicum to complete or enhance their training:
Revised On: July 1, 2021
Legal References:
This section includes:
This section of the handbook contains guidelines for a WFPS/WFSSS to ensure participants enrolled in, or attending, education and training at the time of their WorkFirst application meet their participation requirements. Participants enrolled in school might be receiving financial aid or loans.
WorkFirst participation consists of numerous types of countable training options.
When participants already engaged in education and training apply for cash assistance and come to WorkFirst, the WFPS/WFSSS must determine:
To calculate participation hours, use the actual hours the participant is in the education and training activities, including classes, labs, supervised study halls/tutoring sessions, and up to one hour of unsupervised study time for every hour of class time. Total homework time counted for participation can’t exceed the hours required or advised by their educational program.
Full-time participation is generally 32-40 hours per week (See WFHB 1.2.2 Required Participation). Participants may need to combine work or a work-like activity with their educational program to meet their participation requirement if they aren’t already working. See WFHB 1.2.2 for additional information about adding an additional three hours (preferably core activity hours) in the participant’s Individual Responsibility Plan (IRP) when possible. In most cases, vocational education will meet the strengthened participation requirements, but add an additional three hours core or non-core when necessary.
The WFPS/WFSSS may refer the participant to the following to assist them in obtaining work:
The participant must find a part-time job within 30 days in order to continue in their education and training when the education and training program doesn’t meet WorkFirst participation requirements.
For information regarding work-like activities, see chapters 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 7.5, 8.3, 8.4 and 8.5.
Participants enrolled in vocational education may qualify under numerous activities. Participants attending a Washington State community or technical college may qualify for Vocational Education, Customized Jobs Skills Training, I-BEST, or High Wage, High Demand Training. Participants enrolled in an education program at an institution other than a Washington State community or technical college, may meet the Vocational Education or High Wage, High Demand Training requirements. Refer to Section 7.2 Vocational Education to determine the appropriate activity.
Other Education
WorkFirst will make every effort to assist participants in meeting the requirements of participation so they may remain in school. If not already participating on a full-time basis, generally 32-40 hours per week, the WFPS/WFSSS must take action to engage the participants in full-time WorkFirst activities. See WFHB 1.2.2 for information about adding an additional three hours (preferably core activity hours) in the participant’s Individual Responsibility Plan (IRP) when possible. If the participants don’t comply, they may face sanction for non-participation.