News

Olympic College News Release  BREMERTON, Wash. – Tim and Bev Ryan, Founder of Tim Ryan Construction Inc., continue to transform lives in Kitsap County through their enduring support of Olympic College. The college recently received a $1 million gift from the family that will significantly enhance healthcare education in the region for years to come.The funds will be used to purchase cutting-edge equipment and upgrade existing facilities across all healthcare programs, including the expansion project and remodel at the Poulsbo Campus. In recognition of their generosity, the college will dedicate the sonography lab in their name as the Tim Ryan Family...

Bremerton’s Olympic College is collaborating with Kitsap Transit on a new electrical-theory course: “Electrical Theory: Direct Current Basics.”The 10-week program will give students a foundational understanding of direct-current electricity — a baseline area of expertise for those looking to pursue careers related to electric-vehicle technology, a release said."This partnership with Kitsap Transit provides crucial training for in-demand jobs in our community," said Wendy Fox, interim dean of workforce and economic development at Olympic College, in the release.Priced at $750, the course will start on April 10 and be hosted at the Kitsap Transit facility. The latter organization said that “Electrical...

Olympic College Press ReleaseBREMERTON – Olympic College proudly cut the ribbon today on its newly remodeled Shops building, unveiling world-class facilities and cutting-edge equipment designed to enhance hands-on learning and collaboration.The 14,000-square-foot building will for the first time bring Olympic College’s Welding, Manufacturing, Precision Machining, and Technical Design programs together under one roof, making it easier for students and faculty to collaborate on complex multidisciplinary projects.Designed by Seattle firm Starling Whitehead & Lux Architects and constructed by Pease Construction of Lakewood, the project began in 2022 and modernized labs, classrooms and equipment, increased welding booth capacity, and added classroom and...

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 | 9:00am-4:30pmBELLINGHAM, WA – Western Washington University will host a panel of economic and financial literacy speakers as part of the 2024 Washington Economics Symposium on Tuesday, August 20 from 9:00am-4:30pm at Western Washington University. Teachers can earn 5.5 STEM clock hours for attendance.“Financial and economic education is facing an uphill battle in Washington State. The Washington Economics Symposium is your chance to help address this. With the recent failure of HB 1915, which would have made financial education a prerequisite for high school graduation, this conference aims to bridge the financial and economic training gap...

Olympic College announces partnership with Kitsap County Commissioners & Virginia Mason Franciscan Health(Poulsbo, Wash.) – Olympic College is excited to announce a partnership with the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) on the first phase of building a new regional health sciences campus at its Poulsbo location.With generous contributions of $6 million of American Recovery Plan Act funding from Kitsap County Commissioners and $2.5 million from VMFH, the first phase will include the launch of new health science programs to fill critical health care roles in the region. The programs include dental assisting, dental hygiene,...

ScaleUp  is a 9-week  training program designed to help established businesses increase profitability, build capacity, and spur growth.ScaleUp is advanced business training for companies that have moved BEYOND startup and launch. ScaleUp is about building capacity, increasing profitability, and automating business systems. This program will show you how to position your businessfor investment and ready you for that moment.The training:Nine week live sessions with peer roundtable discussions. Self paced online learning modulesStudy Hall mentorship with ScaleUp TrainersAccess to the ScaleUp Alumni NetworkN o Cost to the business!ScaleUp is provided to Washington State small businesses at no charge thanks to the Washington...

WWU Business Management program is in need of  2-3 organizations on the Kitsap peninsula that can use some HR specific pro-bono advice/consulting. This is a mutually beneficial exercise. The students will gain some real- world HR experience and the organizations will gain valuable theory and research-based insights into their HR process/needs. The main commitment from the organization is to: a.) provide students with info on the organization's HR needs+ answer student questions, b.) attend two classes held in person or via zoom. The first class involves giving a brief 10–15-minute intro about their organization, who they are, what they...

Eliminating homelessness by establishing a pathway to stabitlity for workers; with living wages, upward mobility, and ongoing training and development. The Workforce Ready Initiatives recognizes that gaining and retaining employees is one of the number one frustrations for managers, leaders and business owners.  Their program provides training, coaching and mentoring for businesses and indvidiuals who have experienced trauma and want to reenter the workforce. In this program you will:  Learn the types, examples and levels of trauma affecting the majority of the workforce  Recognizing triggers in yourself and others to better respond  How a trauma informed approach...

POULSBO – Olympic College is poised to help fill a growing need for qualified health care professionals in and around Kitsap County. The college received unanimous support from the Board of Trustees for a proposal presented at their regular meeting on April 18 that could significantly increase the number of programs offered. “We know that health care providers in our community and throughout the Puget Sound area need workers to fill career-wage jobs in many fields,” said OC President Marty Cavalluzzi. “Olympic College is well situated to help fill this need with the creation of new programs...

Hannah Carroll - Reposted with permission from The Kitsap Sun Olympic College’s welding program relocated to the nearby West Sound Technical Skills Center, a location primarily for high-school students, about three years ago. The building left behind on the campus's west side, along Lincoln Avenue, now exists as a shell of what it once was -- but the school has big plans for what it will soon become. Demolition began at Olympic College’s Bremerton welding shop last November. Expected to be completed in February 2024, the building’s empty spaces and blank walls promise improvements for promising welders and,...

View WWU news Whether you want to set yourself apart in the job market, keep up with the latest technology and trends, or enhance your skill set, we've got six-week online courses to help you gain the skills employers need. Courses include: UI/UX Design Using Social Media in Business SEO Strategy Understanding the Cloud Creating Mobile Apps with HTML5 Introduction to C++ Programming      

Western's cyber range at Olympic College in Poulsbo has received $769,000 in state funding to enhance its equipment and increase its technological support for students to engage in cybersecurity work.     Adriannah Roman, Western Washington University, Office of University Communications intern With increasing cybersecurity threats worldwide due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the first-ever cyber range in Washington state has received $769,000 in state funding to enhance its equipment and increase its technological support. The funding has been specifically provided to allow the cyber range to increase its support for other colleges...

Getting an education at Olympic College pays off – not just for students, but also for alumni, businesses, and the entire region.   Olympic College News Release  May 25, 2022   That’s according to a recent economic impact study, which found that Olympic College added $204 million to the economies of Kitsap and Mason counties in fiscal year 2019-20, making up 1.3% of the region’s Gross Regional Product. The study, which was conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI), considered a number of factors, including college operations spending, students who relocated to the area to attend...

T.H.R.I.V.E. IS FREE six-month intensive business training for small business entrepreneurs and executives to help them get unstuck and take their business to the next level   With your invaluable connection and involvement in supporting small businesses in your community, I would love your assistance to help us spread the word and recommend small companies that you think would benefit from this program.   The T.H.R.I.V.E. Emerging Leaders Reimagined advanced training series is open to small business owners and executives who:  Have annual revenues of at least $250,000  Have been in...

Turn your passion into a livelihood!   Washington State Department of Commerce Startup Washington  just announced the launch the new Creatives Academy. The academy is a series of free, on-demand lessons that cover a wide swath of business skills,  designed to teach those in the creative sector how to turn their passion into a livelihood.  Twelve sessions to help them create a sustainable, profitable business, from pricing and negotiation to intellectual property and going global. http://mystartup365.com/training/creatives-academy/

WWU Poulsbo Students seeking business experience!     Projects for Spring Entrepreneurial Problems class. Joe Vogel, Instructor at WWU on the Peninsulas Poulsbo, is seeking one business or organization to provide input from students in the Spring Entrepreneurial Problems class. This is an opportunity to receive input, insights and a finished product from the students. Past products have included: Market research Product design Business plan This 8-week commitment beginning in early April can bring a new perspective for a Kitsap-based company seeking growth. For more information, please...

Coming in March:  Grants will be available for minor renovations and small capital purchases   Commerce's Early Learning Facilities (ELF) program will open a new funding round for eligible child care providers in early March. Grants are for minor renovations to existing buildings used by child care providers licensed or certified by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) on or before January 1, 2020. Grant details: Family homes, child care centers, and K-12 school districts are all eligible to apply. Grant funds may be used for minor renovations and small capital purchases. All...

  Are you ready to Thrive? The Washington State Department of Commerce offers a small business program for companies that have an appetite to grow and expand their products, geography, services and distribution quickly.  The Thrive! program engages with CEOs of these fast growing second-stage businesses by connecting them to a team of national experts. Based on the Edward Lowe Foundation’s System for Integrated GrowthSM (SIG) framework, Thrive! connects CEOs to a team that provides data, analytics, best practices and strategies that are typically only available to larger corporations. This actionable information can be used...

WWU Professional and Continuing Education have new exciting courses upcoming this winter! What better way to start the new year, than by learning an extremely relevant topic or becoming more knowledgeable for your current role.  *Upcoming Winter Offerings*   Workplace Inclusion-Critical Skills in the 21st Century: This workshop benefits those interested in enhancing their understanding of accessibility, diversity and equity in the workplace and offers practical skills for employees, supervisors, leaders and students for how to ensure inclusion in the work environment. This workshop will meet on January 28...

Dreaming of Starting Your Own Business? BE$T Can Help!           Kitsap Community Resources’ Business Education Support & Training (BE$T) Program is committed to providing the business training and network of supportive community services to enterprising individuals to gain self- sufficiency through small business ownership.  Next Class Begins April 12.  Tuition is Based on a Sliding Scale & Starts at Only $60! In-Person 8-week classes begin APRIL 12  Evening classes at Kitsap Community Resources in Bremerton     Develop your business concept     Define and...