Worker Retraining

Want A Rewarding Career?

Do you need training to get back into a rewarding career? Worker Retraining may be for you! We help unemployed workers and people at risk of unemployment to get the training they need for better employment opportunities. 

What Can Worker Retraining Do For You?

Worker Retraining provides funding and services to help workers build and enhance their job skills.

You may be eligible for assistance with:

• funding for tuition and books
• funds when you have exhausted your unemployment and are finishing up your program
• obtaining other funding through sources including Financial Aid and WorkSource
• Employment Security applications to continue to collect unemployment benefits while going to school (CAT) and to extend unemployment benefits while in school (TB)
• free college assessment
• educational planning, advising, new student orientation, and registration
• developing the skills needed to be successful in college (including a college success seminar)
• connecting to other resources and programs you may be eligible for

Do You Qualify?

You could be eligible if you: 

• are collecting, will collect, or have collected unemployment from the state of Washington in the last 24 months.
• were formerly self-employed but have become unemployed in the last 24 months due to general economic conditions or a natural disaster.
• have become a displaced homemaker in the last 24 months, meaning that you were dependent on another family member's income, that income is no longer available to you and you are either unemployed or underemployed.
• you separated with an honorable dischage from the U.S. armed services in the last 24 months.
• are currently employed but at risk for unemployment, meeting two of the following criteria: your job is listed as not in demand (www.wilma.org/wdclists); you need training to keep your current job; and/or, you have not yet completed a year of college and a received a related certificate or degree.

What Program Options Are Available?

TCC offers retraining in 50+ professional/technical certificate and degree programs for Worker Retraining students to choose from in the following areas: 

• Administration of Law and Justice
• Allied Health
• Business
• Human Services
• Information Technology
• Office Occupations
• Paraeducation 

Programs range from certificates that take only three months to complete up to Associate of Applied Science degrees.  Several programs offer stand-alone certificates that ladder towards a degree, providing quick reentry to the workforce with the opportunity to complete additional training to enhance your career and earning potential. 

Also, if you want to upgrade your job skills but do not wish to complete a certificate or degree, Worker Retraining can customize a training program for you.

Complete List of Eligible Training Programs (PDF Format)

How to Start

The first step to enroll in TCC Worker Retraining is to call 253.566.5188 to sign up for a Worker Retraining Orientation. 

For more information, please stop by our office in Building 8, call us at 253.566.5188, or email Trish Iverson, Program Coordinator, at tiverson@tacomacc.edu.

If you do not qualify for Worker Retraining, you may still apply to any training program that TCC offers. Some funding resources you may qualify for are:

• WorkSource Pierce 253.593.7300
• Centro Latino 253.572.7717 
• Equal Opportunity Resource Center - Spruce Program 253.572.5960 
• TCC Financial Aid 253.566.5080