Title 28C, VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Every year community colleges, technical colleges, and high schools graduate students who have distinguished themselves by their outstanding performance in their occupational training programs. The legislature intends to recognize and honor these students by establishing a Washin…

The Washington award for vocational excellence program is established. The purposes of this annual program are to: (1) Maximize public awareness of the achievements, leadership ability, and community contributions of the students enrolled in occupational training programs in high…

(1) The workforce training and education coordinating board shall have the responsibility for the development and administration of the Washington award for vocational excellence program. The workforce training and education coordinating board shall develop the program in consult…

Except for the 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2026-27 school years, the Washington award for vocational excellence shall be granted annually. It is the intent of the legislature to continue the policy of not granting the Washington award for vocational excellence in the 2019-20, …

The workforce training and education coordinating board may accept any and all donations, grants, bequests, and devices, conditional or otherwise, or money, property, service, or other things of value which may be received from any federal, state, or local agency, any institution…

(1) The respective governing boards of the public technical colleges shall provide fee waivers for a maximum of two years for those recipients of the Washington award for vocational excellence established under RCW 28C.04.520 through 28C.04.540 who received the award before June …

The Washington award for vocational excellence shall be effective commencing with the 1984-85 academic year. [ 1987 c 505 s 16; 1984 c 267 s 8.]

Each publicly operated vocational school shall make information available to all newly matriculated students on methods of transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus and prevention of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The curricula and materials shall be reviewed for medi…

It is the intent of this chapter to protect against practices by private vocational schools which are false, deceptive, misleading, or unfair, and to help ensure adequate educational quality at private vocational schools. [ 1986 c 299 s 1.]

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter. (1) "Agency" means the workforce training and education coordinating board. (2) "Agent" means a person owning an interest in, employed by, or representing for remuneratio…

This chapter does not apply to: (1) Bona fide trade, business, professional, or fraternal organizations conducting educational programs primarily for that organization's membership or offered by that organization on a no-fee basis; (2) Entities offering education that is exclusiv…

The agency: (1) Shall maintain a list of private vocational schools licensed under this chapter; (2) Shall adopt rules in accordance with chapter 34.05 RCW to carry out this chapter; (3) May investigate any entity the agency reasonably believes to be subject to the jurisdiction o…

(1) The agency shall adopt by rule minimum standards for entities operating private vocational schools. The minimum standards shall include, but not be limited to, requirements to assess whether a private vocational school is eligible to obtain and maintain a license in this stat…

Any entity desiring to operate a private vocational school shall apply for a license to the agency on a form provided by the agency. The agency shall issue a license if the school: (1) Files a completed application with information satisfactory to the agency. Misrepresentation by…

The agency shall establish fees by rule at a level necessary to approximately recover the staffing costs incurred in administering this chapter. All fees collected under this section shall be deposited in the state general fund. [ 1986 c 299 s 7.]

The tuition recovery trust fund is hereby established in the custody of the state treasurer. The agency shall deposit in the fund all moneys received under RCW 28C.10.084. Moneys in the fund may be spent only for the purposes under RCW 28C.10.084. Disbursements from the fund shal…

(1) The agency shall establish, maintain, and administer a tuition recovery trust fund. All funds collected for the tuition recovery trust fund are payable to the state for the benefit and protection of any student or enrollee of a private vocational school licensed under this ch…

A private vocational school, whether located in this state or outside of this state, shall not conduct business of any kind, make any offers, advertise or solicit, or enter into any contracts unless the private vocational school is licensed under this chapter. [ 1986 c 299 s 9.]

The executive director of the agency may suspend or modify any of the requirements under this chapter in a particular case if the agency finds that: (1) The suspension or modification is consistent with the purposes of this chapter; and (2) The education to be offered addresses a…

(1) It is a violation of this chapter for an entity operating a private vocational school to engage in an unfair business practice. The agency may deny, revoke, or suspend the license of any entity that is found to have engaged in a substantial number of unfair business practices…

(1) Complaints may be filed under this chapter only by a current student or exiter of a program or training affected by an unfair business practice. The complaint shall set forth the alleged violation and shall contain information required by the agency on forms provided for that…

(1) Any private vocational school or agent violating RCW 28C.10.060, 28C.10.090, or 28C.10.110 or the applicable agency rules is subject to a civil penalty of not more than one hundred dollars for each separate violation. Each day on which a violation occurs constitutes a separat…

Any entity or any owner, officer, agent, or employee of such entity who wilfully violates RCW 28C.10.060 or 28C.10.090 is guilty of a gross misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not to exceed one thousand dollars or by imprisonment in the county jail fo…

A private vocational school, whether located in this state or outside of this state, that conducts business of any kind, makes any offers, advertises, solicits, or enters into any contracts in this state or with a resident of this state is subject to the jurisdiction of the court…

If any private vocational school discontinues its operation, the chief administrative officer of the school shall file with the agency the original or legible true copies of all educational records required by the agency. If the agency determines that any educational records are …

If a student or prospective student is a resident of this state at the time any contract relating to payment for education or any note, instrument, or other evidence of indebtedness relating thereto is entered into, RCW 28C.10.180 shall govern the rights of the parties to the con…

A note, instrument, or other evidence of indebtedness or contract relating to payment for education is not enforceable in the courts of this state by a private vocational school or holder of the instrument unless the private vocational school was licensed under this chapter at th…

The attorney general or the prosecuting attorney of any county in which a private vocational school or agent of the school is found may bring an action in any court of competent jurisdiction for the enforcement of this chapter. The court may issue an injunction or grant any other…

The agency may seek injunctive relief, after giving notice to the affected party, in a court of competent jurisdiction for a violation of this chapter or the rules adopted under this chapter. The agency need not allege or prove that the agency has no adequate remedy at law. The r…

A violation of this chapter or the rules adopted under this chapter affects the public interest and is an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of RCW 19.86.020 of the consumer protection act. The remedies and sanctions provided by this section shall not preclude appli…

The remedies and penalties provided for in this chapter are nonexclusive and cumulative and do not affect any other actions or proceedings. [ 1986 c 299 s 22.]

This act shall take effect July 1, 1986. [ 1986 c 299 s 31.]

The legislature finds that the state's system of workforce training and education is inadequate for meeting the needs of the state's workers, employers, and economy. A growing shortage of skilled workers is already hurting the state's economy. There is a shortage of available wor…

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this title. (1) "Adult basic education" means instruction designed to achieve mastery of skills in reading, writing, oral communication, and computation at a level sufficient to allow …

(1) There is hereby created the workforce training and education coordinating board as a state agency and as the successor agency to the state board for vocational education. Once the coordinating board has convened, all references to the state board for vocational education in t…

The purpose of the board is to provide planning, coordination, evaluation, monitoring, and policy analysis for the state training system as a whole, and advice to the governor and legislature concerning the state training system, in cooperation with the state training system and …

(1) The director shall serve as chief executive officer of the board who shall administer the provisions of this chapter, employ such personnel as may be necessary to implement the purposes of this chapter, and utilize staff of existing operating agencies to the fullest extent po…

(1) The board shall be designated as the state board of vocational education as provided for in P.L. 98-524, as amended, and shall perform such functions as is necessary to comply with federal directives pertaining to the provisions of such law. (2) The board shall perform the fu…

The board, in cooperation with the operating agencies of the state training system and private career schools and colleges, shall: (1) Concentrate its major efforts on planning, coordination evaluation, policy analysis, and recommending improvements to the state's training system…

State-funded workforce training programs must develop policies to accommodate student absences for up to two days per academic year, to allow students to take holidays for reasons of faith or conscience or for organized activities conducted under the auspices of a religious denom…

(1) The legislature continues to recognize the vital role that workforce development efforts play in equipping the state's workers with the skills they need to succeed in an economy that requires higher levels of skill and knowledge. The legislature also recognizes that businesse…

(1) The board shall develop a state comprehensive plan for workforce training and education for a ten-year time period. The board shall submit the ten-year state comprehensive plan to the governor and the appropriate legislative policy committees. Every four years by December 1st…

(1) The board shall specify, by December 31, 1995, the common core data to be collected by the operating agencies of the state training system and the standards for data collection and maintenance required in RCW 28C.18.060(8). (2) The minimum standards for program evaluation by …

The board shall, by January 1, 1996, and biennially thereafter: (1) Assess the total demand for training from the perspective of workers, and from the perspective of employers; (2) assess the available supply of publicly and privately provided training which workers and employers…

The board shall, in cooperation with the operating agencies, by January 1, 1996: (1) Identify policies to reduce administrative and other barriers to efficient operation of the state's workforce development system and barriers to improved coordination of workforce development in …

The board shall: (1) Facilitate ongoing collaboration among stakeholders in order to address the health care personnel shortage; (2) In collaboration with stakeholders, establish and maintain a state strategic plan for ensuring an adequate supply of health care personnel that saf…