50.22.130 - Training benefits program -- Intent.

Training benefits program — Intent.

It is the intent of the legislature that a training benefits program be established to provide unemployment insurance benefits to unemployed individuals who participate in training programs necessary for their reemployment.

     The legislature further intends that this program serve the following goals:

     (1) Retraining should be available for those unemployed individuals whose skills are no longer in demand;

     (2) To be eligible for retraining, an individual must have a long-term attachment to the labor force;

     (3) Training must enhance the individual's marketable skills and earning power; and

     (4) Retraining must be targeted to high-demand occupations.

     Individuals unemployed as a result of structural changes in the economy and technological advances rendering their skills obsolete must receive the highest priority for participation in this program. It is the further intent of the legislature that individuals for whom suitable employment is available are not eligible for additional benefits while participating in training.

     The legislature further intends that funding for this program be limited by a specified maximum amount each fiscal year.

[2009 c 353 § 3; 2000 c 2 § 6.]

Notes: Conflict with federal requirements -- Severability -- Effective date -- 2000 c 2: See notes following RCW 50.04.355.