WA Worker Retraining Application Checklist: Documents You Need (2026)

Template Sections

• Why a checklist matters when you’re already tired
• How Worker Retraining documentation works in 2026
• Worker Retraining application checklist template
• Category specific document requirements
• Timing, rescreening, and the printable checklist
• How to get missing documents quickly
• Using the checklist with an approved provider like Nucamp
• Real life walk-throughs that show the checklist in action
• Combining Worker Retraining with other supports and common FAQs
• Bringing it all together and next steps

How Worker Retraining documentation works in 2026

Who’s behind Worker Retraining and why the paperwork feels so intense

Underneath all the forms and acronyms, Worker Retraining is a straightforward idea: Washington sets aside money so people hit by layoffs, business closures, or major life changes can retrain at community and technical colleges and approved private career schools. The program is coordinated by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), which publishes detailed rules for both colleges and private schools about who can be served and what documentation they have to keep on file. Whether you enroll at a local college or an approved provider like Nucamp, everyone is playing by the same state rulebook.

Those rules require schools to be able to show, on paper, that you met eligibility criteria before they used Worker Retraining dollars for your tuition. That’s why they care so much about things like unemployment dates, discharge dates, or when a business closed. It isn’t about doubting your story; it’s about protecting you and the school if the state later reviews your file. Clear documentation up front reduces the risk of mid-program surprises, like funding being pulled back or you being asked to repay money because something wasn’t documented correctly.

Eligibility “trails,” dates, and why they’re so specific

To keep things manageable, the program organizes people into a handful of eligibility “trails”: current Unemployment Insurance (UI) recipients, those who exhausted UI within the last 48 months, veterans discharged within 48 months, active-duty service members with separation orders, displaced homemakers, formerly self-employed workers whose business closed due to economic conditions, and vulnerable or at-risk workers in declining occupations. Each trail has its own must-have documents, and your college or training provider has to pick one primary path for you instead of mixing pieces from several. In practice, that means your UI history, DD-214, divorce decree, or tax return becomes one of the non-negotiable “map and water filter” items in your application pack.

The dates attached to each category - especially the repeated 48-month window for recent UI, veterans, and some displaced homemaker cases - act like the weight and space limits in a backpack. They define who the program is meant to serve right now and help schools prioritize when funds run short. Workforce offices sometimes give extra priority to people currently on UI or who just exhausted benefits, because state guidance urges colleges to target those most directly affected by recent job loss. According to the SBCTC’s own description of the program, Worker Retraining is designed to help unemployed and underemployed adults “gain skills to return to the workforce,” which is why timing and work history matter so much in the documentation they collect from each student through the Worker Retraining student process.

What WIA001, “crossover students,” and priority really mean for you

A lot of the jargon you’ll hear is just shorthand for specific screens or timing rules. The WIA001, for example, is simply an Employment Security Department printout that shows up to 48 months of your UI benefit history; colleges use it as a one-page way to confirm when you were laid off, how long you received benefits, and whether they were exhausted. A “crossover student” is someone whose training crosses the July 1 start of a new state fiscal year; they often have to be rechecked against current rules before new-year funds can be applied. None of this is meant to trip you up. It’s how schools make sure the support you’re offered is something they can legally keep giving you all the way to the end of your program.

Worker Retraining application checklist template

How the template turns scattered papers into a plan

Think of this checklist template as the moment when all your “gear” comes off the living room floor and finally goes into the backpack. You print it (or copy it into a document), tick the one eligibility trail that fits you best, plug in a few fill-in-the-blank lines, and you’ve got a single, organized packet you can bring to a Workforce Education office or an approved private career school like Nucamp. Because Nucamp is an officially approved Private Career School for Washington’s Worker Retraining program, eligible students can often get up to 80% of tuition covered while paying about $100/month for 5 months out of pocket, and this same template works whether you’re meeting with a local college or starting an online bootcamp through their Washington Worker Retraining scholarship page.

How to work through the checklist before you talk to anyone

Use the template in four quick passes so you’re not trying to do everything in your head during a stressful appointment. First, mark your primary category by checking one box such as “Current UI recipient / Dislocated worker,” “Veteran (discharged within 48 months),” or “Formerly self-employed (business closed).” Second, fill in the core identity details you almost always need, like your legal name, contact info, and the exact name of the program you’re aiming for (for example, “Cybersecurity Fundamentals + Job Hunting, Nucamp”). Third, write down which category-specific documents you already have in hand, like a recent UI pay stub, DD-214 Member 4 copy, divorce decree, or latest tax return with Schedule C. Finally, highlight anything missing and add a short note beside it such as “request from county clerk” or “print from UI portal,” so you walk into your meeting with a clear to-do list instead of a vague sense that something’s forgotten.

Part 1 of the template: picking your primary eligibility “trail”

This first section is where you circle or check the one story that best matches your current situation so your advisor doesn’t have to guess. The template gives you a short list to choose from, for example:

• ☐ Current UI recipient / Dislocated worker
• ☐ Recently exhausted UI (within 48 months)
• ☐ Veteran (discharged within 48 months) or ☐ Active-duty with separation orders
• ☐ Displaced homemaker (lost primary household income)
• ☐ Formerly self-employed (business closed due to economic conditions or disaster)
• ☐ Vulnerable / at-risk worker (job not in demand, limited college credits)
• ☐ Other: ______________________

Underneath the box you check, you can add a single line like “My primary eligibility trail is: __________________________ (example: Currently on WA UI after 2025 warehouse layoff).” Schools use this kind of clarity to decide which exact documents they need from you; workforce offices such as the one at Clover Park Technical College explain that a clean eligibility category up front lets them match you faster with Worker Retraining funds and any additional grants you might qualify for.

Part 2 of the template: core documents almost everyone should list

The second part of the template is a short, repeatable “for everyone” section where you simply check off what you already have and write notes beside what you still need. Typical lines include “Government-issued photo ID,” “Social Security card or number,” “Proof of Washington residency,” “Any prior college transcripts,” and “Updated resume or work history.” There’s also a space to write the exact title of your intended training program so your advisor doesn’t have to guess which catalog entry you mean. This is also where you can jot questions like “Do I need official or unofficial transcripts?” or “Can I email scans of my documents?” As one college puts it in its Worker Retraining checklist, “You will need to provide at least one form of documentation from the list below to verify eligibility,” a reminder that this template isn’t busywork - it’s your way of walking in with the right non-negotiables packed so your advisor can spend most of your meeting on planning your training, not chasing paperwork.

Category specific document requirements

This is the point in the process where most people feel stuck: you’ve picked your eligibility “trail,” but now someone is asking for very specific proof. Just like a backcountry ranger won’t accept a photo of a map instead of the real thing, Worker Retraining advisors can only approve certain documents for each category. The good news is that the list is finite and predictable. If you know whether you’re on the “current UI,” “veteran,” “displaced homemaker,” “formerly self-employed,” or “vulnerable worker” trail, you can narrow your focus to just a handful of non-negotiable records instead of trying to bring your entire filing cabinet.

Current or Recently Exhausted Unemployment Benefits

If you’re a current UI recipient, schools are usually looking for two things: proof you’re actually receiving benefits right now, and a short history of those benefits. In practice, that means a recent Washington UI pay stub showing a payment greater than $0, plus a printout of the Employment Security Department’s WIA001 screen, which lists up to 48 months of your unemployment history. For the recently exhausted UI category, the same WIA001 or other ESD benefits printout is used to show when your claim started, when benefits ran out within the last 48 months, and that you haven’t returned to full-time work since. Colleges and providers lean on these records because they tie your training directly to a documented layoff or reduction in hours, which is central to how the state defines a dislocated worker.

Veterans, Displaced Homemakers, and Formerly Self-Employed Workers

For veterans, the centerpiece is your DD-214 Member 4 copy (or NGB-22 for Guard/Reserve), which shows your character of service and a discharge date within the last 48 months; if you’re still on active duty but close to transition, official separation or retirement orders with a date within about six months of your program start usually play the same role. Displaced homemakers document that they lost primary household income through a divorce, legal separation, death, or a spouse’s permanent disability, often using a decree or death certificate dated within the last 24-48 months, plus a doctor’s or VA letter if disability is involved and, when applicable, a few recent pay stubs showing current low wages. Formerly self-employed workers pair their most recent federal tax return (with Schedule C, F, or K-1 showing self-employment in the last 24 months) with a short signed statement and any supporting papers that explain the business closed because of economic conditions or a disaster. Colleges that publish examples, like the Worker Retraining documentation guide from Edmonds College, emphasize that the goal is clear evidence you truly depended on that income and that its loss wasn’t voluntary.

“You will need to provide at least one form of documentation from the list below to verify eligibility.” - Worker Retraining Office, Edmonds College

Vulnerable / At-Risk Workers and How the Categories Compare

If your job hasn’t disappeared yet but is flagged as declining in your region, you may fit the vulnerable or at-risk worker category. Here, the key pieces are a printout or screenshot from your local Demand/Decline Occupations list showing your job as “not in demand” or “decline,” plus college transcripts confirming you’ve earned fewer than 45 college-level credits so far. Together, they show that without retraining, you’re at real risk of layoff and don’t already have a substantial degree to fall back on. To see how these paths line up, it can help to think about them side by side, the way you’d compare different routes on a map before choosing your hike:

Timing, rescreening, and the printable checklist

Timing with Worker Retraining is a lot like checking the weather and daylight before a long hike. The terrain may be the same either way, but starting too late in the day or walking into a storm can turn a good plan into a miserable experience. With tuition funding, the “weather” is things like quarter start dates, priority deadlines, and the state’s July 1 fiscal-year rollover. When you understand those pieces up front, you can line up your application, documents, and class start so they work with the system instead of against it.

Quarter start dates and priority funding windows

Every college and private career school that uses Worker Retraining money works on an academic calendar. They have defined quarters or start dates and usually a priority deadline for each one. If you apply and get your documents in before that date, you’re in the first group they consider for limited Worker Retraining funds. If you come in after, they may still help you, but it’s more like trying to grab a campsite at dusk: you’re relying on what’s left. The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges notes that this grant is meant to support thousands of students statewide each year, and when demand is high, schools often prioritize people who are currently unemployed or recently laid off for early-year awards.

Fiscal year crossover and why rescreening happens

On top of school calendars, Worker Retraining runs on the state’s budget year, which resets every July 1. If your program runs across that line, you become what the guidelines call a crossover student. In plain language, that just means your college or training provider has to take another look at your situation before they use new-year funds for you. They’ll confirm that your eligibility category still fits and that your documents still meet the rules in place for the new year. As the official FY26 Worker Retraining guidelines put it:

“Crossover students must be rescreened for eligibility prior to awarding funds in the new fiscal year.” - State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Worker Retraining Grant Guidelines

How the timing pieces fit together

It can help to see the main timing checkpoints in one place, the same way you’d compare sunrise, sunset, and trail mileage before committing to a route:

This is where the printable checklist earns its keep. Instead of trying to remember all of this while you’re on the phone or in an advising appointment, you can keep a one-page list that includes your target start date, your school’s priority deadline, whether your program will cross July 1, and any separate timelines you’re juggling for Unemployment Insurance or L&I. Filling in those blanks ahead of time is like checking the forecast and daylight hours the night before a hike: it doesn’t change the trail, but it gives you a realistic plan so you’re not caught halfway up the hill wondering if you have enough time to finish.

How to get missing documents quickly

Realizing you’re missing a key document can feel like discovering your water filter is still on the kitchen counter after you’re already at the trailhead. The instinct is to panic or assume the trip is off. In practice, most Worker Retraining documents can be replaced or reprinted if you know where to go and what to ask for. The goal isn’t to collect every paper you’ve ever signed; it’s to quickly track down the specific records that prove your eligibility trail so you can get back to planning your training, not chasing paperwork.

Unemployment records and the WIA001 screen

For Unemployment Insurance proof, you have two main sources. First, log into your Employment Security Department eServices account and print your latest UI payment history or a recent benefits statement; this is usually enough to show you’re a current recipient. Second, for the longer view your college may request, visit a local WorkSource center and ask an Employment Security representative to print your WIA001 screen, which is simply your UI history for up to 48 months. When you go, bring your photo ID and Social Security number, and ask them to print all pages so dates of claim start, end, and any benefit exhaustion are fully visible.

Military, vital records, and school transcripts

If your path runs through military service, vital records, or prior college, the quickest routes are fairly standard. For a missing DD-214 or NGB-22, you can submit a request through the National Archives and, if you live in Washington, you can also ask the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs for help tracking it down. Divorce decrees and legal separations usually come from the county clerk where the case was filed, while death certificates are issued by the state Department of Health or the county where the death was recorded. For disability-related documentation, a short letter from a treating physician or a VA Disability Award letter (often showing 100% disability when that’s the issue) is typically enough; you don’t need full medical records. College transcripts almost always come from your old school’s registrar or online portal, and many registrars can send secure electronic transcripts directly to your new college or training provider once you submit a simple request form.

Tax returns, business closure, and proof you were self-employed

For the formerly self-employed, your federal tax return is your primary proof that the business was real work and not a hobby. If you don’t have a copy, you can use the IRS’s “Get Transcript” service or contact your tax preparer to obtain the most recent return that includes your Schedule C, F, or K-1 showing business income in the last 24 months. To show that the business actually closed, start by writing a short signed statement explaining what the business did, when revenue dropped, and when you closed it. Then add whatever supporting paperwork you can find: a final business license, a dissolution confirmation, a lease termination, or a screenshot from the Washington Secretary of State’s business filings search if you formally dissolved an LLC or corporation. Bundling your tax return, self-statement, and any closure notices into one packet makes it much easier for a Worker Retraining advisor to follow your story.

When records are delayed or truly missing

Sometimes, no matter how organized you are, an agency takes weeks to respond or an employer never sends that layoff letter. In those cases, colleges have a few backup options they can use case-by-case. Many workforce offices keep a Worker Retraining self-attestation form you can sign under penalty of perjury when other proof genuinely isn’t available, and some will accept a brief email or letter from a former employer confirming your layoff in place of formal HR paperwork. If you’re also working with another agency, like Labor & Industries on a retraining plan, your advisor may be able to use copies of documents already in that file as part of your Worker Retraining proof; the L&I guide to retraining plans explains how their records document your work history and injury. The key is to bring whatever you do have, be honest about what’s missing, and ask directly, “Is there a self-attestation or alternative documentation option for my situation?” so you and your advisor can problem-solve instead of stalling out.

Using the checklist with an approved provider like Nucamp

Once your paperwork is off the table and into a neat stack, the next question is where to carry it: a community or technical college close to home, or an approved private career school like Nucamp that offers structured online bootcamps. The checklist you’ve built doesn’t change based on that choice - the same UI stubs, DD-214s, tax returns, or court documents prove your eligibility either way - but how you use the list with each provider looks a little different. With a school like Nucamp, the whole process happens online, which can be a relief if you’re juggling childcare, part-time work, or job search while you retrain.

What it means to use an approved provider

Washington’s Worker Retraining program doesn’t just fund community and technical colleges; it also works with selected private career schools that meet state standards. Nucamp is one of those officially approved schools, so when you pick a path like “Web Development Fundamentals + Full Stack & Mobile Development + Job Hunting,” “Back End with SQL and Python + Job Hunting,” or “Cybersecurity Fundamentals + Job Hunting,” you’re still under the same Worker Retraining rules. The difference is in delivery: Nucamp’s programs are 100% online, built around live weekly workshops with instructors and small groups (often around 15 students), plus structured self-paced work between sessions. That model can suit you if driving to campus several times a week isn’t realistic right now.

Step-by-step: plugging your checklist into Nucamp’s process

Using your checklist with Nucamp looks a lot like using it with a college, but the steps happen through a web form instead of an in-person intake. You start by choosing your primary eligibility trail (for example, “Current UI recipient” or “Veteran discharged within 48 months”) and gathering the specific documents that prove it. Then you go to Nucamp’s Washington Worker Retraining scholarship page, fill out the short eligibility form, pick your bootcamp, and upload scans or photos of the documents you’ve already checked off. You’ll also sign a simple self-attestation confirming that what you’re submitting is accurate. From there, Nucamp’s team reviews your file - typically within about 48 hours - and, if you’re approved and local Worker Retraining funds are available, they send you a coupon code by email to apply when you register. It’s important to keep in mind that this isn’t automatic: just like at a college, eligibility and funding decisions are made by the school using state guidelines, and approval depends on your documentation, timing, and the dollars they have left in their Worker Retraining pool.

How Nucamp compares with a college Worker Retraining path

On paper, community and technical colleges, as well as approved providers like Nucamp, are drawing from the same Worker Retraining program. In practice, the experience can feel very different, especially around scheduling and format. Colleges such as Bellevue College’s Worker Retraining program tend to offer on-campus and hybrid programs on academic quarter schedules, often with access to broader campus services. Nucamp, by contrast, centers everything online with evening and weekend workshops, which can fit more easily around a job search or stop-gap employment. Both paths expect you to bring the same core checklist to the table; the comparison is really about which learning environment, schedule, and career focus match the next stretch of “trail” you want to be on.

Real life walk-throughs that show the checklist in action

Sometimes the easiest way to make sense of a checklist is to see how it plays out in real lives. It’s like watching three different hikers pack the same basic gear in different ways: one is racing a storm, one is starting over after an injury, one is changing routes mid-season. The rules of the trail don’t change, but the way each person uses their map, permit, and water filter looks a little different. Worker Retraining works the same way. The categories stay the same; what changes is how your story and your documents line up with them.

Alex: On unemployment, pivoting into cybersecurity

Alex worked in tech support until a layoff notice landed in his inbox. After his first unemployment payment arrived, he printed a recent UI pay stub and, with help from a WorkSource specialist, got a full UI history printout to tuck into his checklist. That put him squarely in the “current UI recipient” trail. With those non-negotiables packed, he chose a focused tech program and applied for Worker Retraining support, then asked Employment Security about keeping benefits while he retrained through ESD’s Training Benefits program. Because his documents clearly showed his job loss and current benefits, the conversations with advisors were about which program fit best and how to time his start date, not whether he “qualified” in the first place.

Maria: Displaced homemaker rebuilding at a community college

Maria had spent years at home raising kids while her spouse worked full-time. When a divorce became final, the household income she’d relied on disappeared almost overnight. She pulled her divorce decree from the court envelope, gathered a few low-wage pay stubs from the part-time job she’d picked up, and checked off the “displaced homemaker” trail on her checklist. At a nearby community college, the Workforce Education office reviewed her papers, confirmed that she fit that category, and helped her apply for Worker Retraining alongside other aid like state grants. Instead of being sent away to “come back with more proof,” she walked out of that first meeting with a concrete plan for a short health-care program that fit school drop-off and pick-up, because her story and her documents were already aligned on paper.

Sam: Business owner closing shop and moving into web development

Sam had run a small design studio for years, but a long downturn finally forced him to close. He downloaded his latest tax return with a business schedule, wrote a short statement explaining when revenue fell and the date he shut the doors, and added a couple of emails from his landlord and a major client confirming canceled contracts. That was enough to check “formerly self-employed” on the checklist. With those pieces in place, he met with a college workforce advisor to explore a certificate and also looked at an online coding bootcamp through an approved training provider. In both settings, the same packet of documents did the heavy lifting; the conversations focused on whether he preferred a campus-based timeline or a more flexible, project-based route into web development.

Across all three stories, the pattern is the same: a clear eligibility trail, a small set of specific documents, and then a conversation about next steps rather than an interrogation about the past. As the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges notes, the Worker Retraining program “plays a key role in Washington state’s economic development by helping unemployed and underemployed workers gain skills to re-enter the workforce,” a reminder that the checklist is there to open doors, not close them.

“The Worker Retraining Program plays a key role in Washington state’s economic development by helping unemployed and underemployed workers gain skills to re-enter the workforce.” - State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Worker Retraining Grant Overview

Combining Worker Retraining with other supports and common FAQs

How Worker Retraining fits with UI, L&I, and college aid

Worker Retraining is one piece of a bigger safety net, so it often works alongside Unemployment Insurance, Labor & Industries (L&I) retraining, and traditional financial aid. Worker Retraining itself is a tuition support program; it can help cover program costs at a college or approved provider, but it doesn’t replace your UI checks or time-limit your claim. Many students pair it with regular UI or with Employment Security’s Training Benefits/Commissioner-Approved Training so they can stay on unemployment while in full-time school. Others are also working with L&I on a vocational retraining plan after a work injury, or layering in need-based aid like the Washington College Grant for living expenses and books. The key is that each program has its own rules and timelines, and your Worker Retraining documents (UI history, layoff proof, medical or legal paperwork) often double as proof for these other agencies too.

With Unemployment Insurance, the big thing to remember is that Worker Retraining approval doesn’t automatically mean Employment Security has cleared you to stay on benefits while you study. That usually takes a separate Training Benefits or Commissioner-Approved Training application where you give ESD details about your program, show why it leads to better job prospects, and ask to be excused from job-search requirements while you’re enrolled. Many of the same records you gathered for Worker Retraining - WIA001 UI history, layoff notice, or self-employment closure documents - are exactly what ESD wants to see. If you’re also in an L&I claim, your vocational retraining plan has its own clock and approval process; L&I’s guidance stresses that retraining plans must be developed and approved within specific windows, which is another reason to keep all your paperwork organized and ready to share with both your college and your claim manager.

“Training benefits can pay for additional weeks of unemployment while you attend full-time training approved by the department.” - Employment Security Department, Training Benefits Program

Quick answers to common paperwork questions

Once you start talking to advisors, the same questions tend to come up over and over. You can treat these like a mini-checklist to sanity-check your own file before you submit anything:

• Do my documents have to be originals? In most cases, clear photocopies or scanned PDFs of things like UI stubs, WIA001 printouts, DD-214s, and tax returns are fine; schools usually keep copies in your file even if they briefly view an original legal document like a death certificate. Ask your advisor if they prefer uploads or in-person review.
• How recent should pay stubs be? For current Unemployment Insurance, advisors typically look for a stub from the past few weeks showing a payment greater than $0. For underemployment categories (like displaced homemaker or vulnerable worker), they usually ask for your three most recent pay stubs to document current low wages.
• What if I never got a layoff letter? You’re not necessarily stuck. A WIA001 UI history that clearly shows your separation, a Worker Retraining self-attestation form, or a brief email/letter from a past supervisor or HR contact confirming your layoff can often stand in for a formal notice, as long as dates and details line up.
• My important papers are from another state or country. That’s generally okay as long as you now live in Washington and the documents clearly show an eligible event (layoff, discharge, divorce, death, etc.). You may need certified copies and, if they’re not in English, an official translation that the college can accept.
• My name has changed since those documents were issued. Bring whatever shows the old name (for example, a DD-214 or degree) plus the legal record of the name change, like a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order, so staff can tie everything together.
• Why is everyone obsessed with the 48-month rule? Because state rules use that 48-month window to define who counts as recently laid off or recently discharged. If your job loss, UI exhaustion, or military separation was more than 48 months ago, you might still qualify under a different category (like vulnerable worker), but not under the one tied to that older event.
• What if my situation changes after I’m approved? Tell your advisor right away if you start a new job, stop receiving UI, move out of Washington, or switch programs. Worker Retraining funds are audited; reporting changes early helps the school adjust future quarters if needed and protects you from overpayments or surprise bills later.
• I was told “no” because my proof wasn’t strong enough. Is that it? Often, you can try again if something in your life clearly changes (like a new layoff or business closure) or if you later get better documentation, such as a finally-arrived DD-214 or tax return. Use the main checklist to pick the right eligibility trail and list the exact documents that category requires, then make it a short-term goal to gather those before your next appointment.

Putting all of this together, combining Worker Retraining with other supports is less about finding a magic program and more about keeping one accurate, updated “packet” of your story that you can share with each office. When you’ve done that - and you know how the 48-month rules, pay-stub timelines, and name-change records fit - those conversations start to feel less like a test and more like standing at the trailhead with your gear checked, ready to focus on the path ahead instead of what might be missing from your pack.

Bringing it all together and next steps

By now, you’ve pulled most of your “gear” off the floor: you know which eligibility trail you’re on, which documents are non-negotiable, and how timing and funding windows shape your route. The weight of what you’ve been through is still real, but the chaos is different; instead of loose papers and unanswered questions, you’ve got a pack that’s starting to feel intentional. Bringing it all together is about turning that packed bag into your first few solid steps toward a new career.

Make your story and documents match on paper

Your first job is simply to lock in the basics. Choose the single eligibility category that fits you best - current UI, recently exhausted UI, veteran or active-duty separating, displaced homemaker, formerly self-employed, or vulnerable worker - and commit to it. Then, check that your documents clearly support that story: UI stubs and WIA001 history for unemployment, DD-214 for recent service, decrees or death certificates for displaced homemakers, tax returns and closure notes for self-employment, demand/decline lists and transcripts for vulnerable workers. State guidelines, and even school-specific checklists like Perry Technical Institute’s Worker Retraining overview, all come back to the same idea: the cleaner the match between your story and your paperwork, the easier it is for an advisor to say yes within the rules.

Choose where you’ll train and reach out

Once your packet is in decent shape, the next decision is where to use it. You might start with a nearby community or technical college, which can combine Worker Retraining with campus-based programs and other aid, or you might look at an approved private career school like Nucamp if you want a structured online route into web development or cybersecurity. At Nucamp, eligible Worker Retraining students can often have up to 80% of tuition covered by state funds while paying about $100/month for 5 months themselves, but that support is never guaranteed; just like at a college, it depends on your eligibility, your documentation, and whether funds are available when you apply. Wherever you go first, remember that the worker retraining advisor’s role is to walk the trail with you, not to judge how you ended up at the trailhead.

1. This week: Print or fill out your checklist, pick your eligibility trail, and make a simple document to-do list (for example, “request DD-214,” “print WIA001,” “call county clerk”).
2. Next: Contact one training provider - a college workforce education office or an approved school’s enrollment team - and schedule a meeting or phone call specifically about Worker Retraining.
3. Before that meeting: Gather as many must-have documents as you can, plus your questions about UI, L&I, or other aid, and bring your checklist with notes so you’re not relying on memory under stress.

When you do that, the first advising appointment stops feeling like another test you could fail and starts feeling more like stepping onto the trail: you’ve checked the weather and daylight, your map and water filter are where they need to be, and the pack on your shoulders, while still heavy, is something you chose to carry. From there, whether you continue with a local college or an online bootcamp, the focus shifts from “Do I even qualify?” to “What’s the first mile of this new path going to look like?” and that’s where real forward motion begins.