KITSAP COUNTY — The council that oversees federally funded job training in Kitsap, Clallam and Jefferson counties will meet online Thursday, Nov. 12, to hear about a welding classroom on wheels and to begin updating its regional workforce plan.
The Olympic Workforce Development Council meets from 10 a.m. to noon on Microsoft Teams (meeting ID 238 547 665 496 21, passcode 9rt7pH6U). The council, staffed by Kitsap County Human Services, oversees the WorkSource job centers in the three counties.
Brian Kneidl of Peninsula College will present the college’s mobile programs, including a trailer outfitted as a full welding lab with individual welding stations and ventilation, which the college can take to communities and employer sites. The college says the same approach could be used for marine technology and other short-term training for employers.
Council staff members Alissa Durkin and Luci Bench will start the required two-year update of the council’s four-year plan. They will ask members how to match it to the U.S. Department of Labor’s new five-part workforce strategy, which focuses on industry-driven training, worker mobility, more coordinated programs, accountability and innovation, including AI literacy. A public comment period on the revised plan is expected in January and February 2027, according to the meeting packet.
The council will also hear director Bill Dowling’s report. In September, he told the council that some state workforce funding was under review and could be cut, according to the minutes.
A report in the packet says WorkSource Kitsap got 13 customer surveys in October, with an average rating of 8.62 out of 10.
Public comments are accepted through an online form linked from the council’s website, kitsap.gov/hs/Pages/OWDC–LANDING-Home.aspx. The agenda packet is at kitsap.gov/hs/OWDCDocuments/OWDC%20Agenda%20Packet%202026NOV12.pdf.
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