The Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council (WSATC) plays a vital role in helping people learn skilled trades through hands-on experience and related/supplemental instruction.
What is the council?
The Council is a group of seven people chosen by the Director of Labor and Industries. To keep things fair, the group is balanced:
- Three members represent business owners (management).
- Three members represent the workers (labor).
- One member represents the general public.
What do they do?
The Council’s primary function is to approve and register apprenticeship and training programs. Persons or organizations desiring to develop an apprenticeship training program must propose their committee and standards in conformance to apprenticeship laws and regulations for consideration and approval by the Council.
When do they meet?
The Council is busy year-round to make sure programs are running smoothly:
- Main Meetings: They meet four times a year on the third Thursday of January, April, July, and October.
- Subcommittees: Members meet in smaller groups between the main meetings to focus on specific tasks.
- Examples - Compliance Review and Retention, Electrical, Tribal, etc.
- Special Sessions: They also hold hearings to resolve disagreements and meet in private "executive sessions" to discuss sensitive matters.
Employee representatives
- April Sims (Term Expires October 15, 2027).
- Brett Wideman, Vice Chair (Term Expires October 15, 2026).
- Heather Kurtenbach (Term Expires June 6, 2028).
Employer representatives
- David D’Hondt (Term Expires October 20, 2028).
- Ed Kommers (Term Expires October 15, 2026).
- Shelley Wilson, Chair (Term Expires October 15, 2027).
Public member
- Karen Keiser (Term Expires July 18, 2028).
Council secretary
- Celeste Monahan, Assistant Director, Division of Labor Standards, Department of Labor & Industries.
Ex-officio members:
- Corinna J. Pereira, State Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship.
- Maddy Aroney Thompson, Acting Director Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board.
- Nate Humphrey, Executive Director Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges.
- Cami Feek, Commissioner Employment Security Department.