WHEREAS, The Washington Community and Technical Colleges contribute significantly to the state's economy during times of both cyclical downturns and structural changes; and
     WHEREAS, The Worker Retraining Program for dislocated and unemployed workers is representative of these contributions; and
     WHEREAS, Due to economic displacement, 80,339 Washington citizens have trained for new occupations through the Worker Retraining Program; and
     WHEREAS, Washington's labor market suffered the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation during the 2001 recession and its aftermath; and
     WHEREAS, The Worker Retraining Program supports individuals' right to obtain new career fields in light of economic change; and
     WHEREAS, Eighty percent of Worker Retraining Program participants became reemployed within nine months after training and obtained jobs paying between eighty-six and one hundred fourteen percent of their prelayoff wages; and
     WHEREAS, The public saves five hundred thirty dollars per retrained worker in the first two and one-half years after training through reduced spending on TANF, food stamps, and unemployment insurance; and
     WHEREAS, The Worker Retraining Program returns dislocated workers to work in the quickest time possible, while providing the skills necessary to succeed in a changing job market; and
     WHEREAS, The Worker Retraining Program has been the subject of numerous accountability studies and those evaluations have found that it substantially increases employment, hours worked, and earnings of participants; and
     WHEREAS, Washington's Worker Retraining Program is recognized across the nation as a model and best practice; and
     WHEREAS, The 2005 Legislative session is an appropriate time to recognize the contributions to a competitive Washington work force provided by the community and technical college system;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize and honor the community and technical colleges' contributions to work force and statewide economic development and to the betterment of over 80,000 workers in times of economic hardship; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Worker Retraining Program of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.