The King County Employee Assistance Program is excited to announce, effective July 1, 2024, that Making Life Easier (MLE) is now administered by our new vendor, CuraLinc. Through CuraLinc, King County employees and anyone living at the employee’s home now have access to an expanded library of Making Life Easier resources to support emotional and overall well-being, including in-the-moment support, virtual and in-person short-term counseling, text-based coaching, and digital support groups. All Making Life Easier resources are confidential and offered at no-cost to you.  

To contact Making Life Easier powered by CuraLinc, visit www.KCMakingLifeEasier.com or call 1-888-874-7290.  

For more information, please visit the Balanced You blog or email balancedyou@kingcounty.gov. 

In this three-hour workshop, participants will learn about the long history of gender diverse peoples across the globe, foundational knowledge of gender and sexuality, and best practices to support a gender diverse workforce.

Participants will have the opportunity to move through real-life scenarios, apply their understanding of pronoun use, and develop strategies to advance gender equity at King County.

The next session will be held on Tuesday, September 10, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. View all available sessions and enroll Here.

Join us in this engaging workshop where we will explore the complex nature of socialization and its impact on our views, beliefs, and behaviors and gain deep understanding of how systemic biases are embedded in our society. We will explore strategies for building inclusive communities where all individuals, regardless of their background, can thrive. Together, we aim to empower participants to take meaningful actions that drive social change and promote justice in their own spheres of influence.

The next available session is scheduled on Thursday, August 22, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. View all available sessions and enroll Here.  

This self-paced eLearning will provide tips and strategies on how to make application materials stand out. Learn the purpose of the job application, resume, cover letter and supplemental questions, and how to make each of them more effective. We’ll go over what to include in your resume and the best format to showcase your qualifications, how to write a tailored cover letter, and how to showcase your accomplishments and transferable skills. Learn more and enroll HERE. 

This self-paced eLearning will provide you with strategies and tips to help you do your best during the interview.  You will learn how to prepare for a virtual or in-person interview, the interview structure and types of questions you will be asked. You will also learn our STAR-LA method and how to use it to provide organized and complete responses. You will also be given some general interviewing tips and strategies. Learn more and enroll HERE.

Mentoring Lunch & Learn – Online – Would you like to have a mentor, someone who can help you grow professionally? Do you want to strengthen your coaching skills? As a Mentee, you will have a trusted advisor who can help you navigate complex situations, and as a Mentor, you can uncover new or forgotten skills and build influence.

• Wednesday, July 24, or Thursday, August 22, always from noon to 1:00 p.m. Register here.

Don't forget to check out what's coming up at Seattle Central College through our new link for King County employees! Things like Advanced Grant Proposal Writing, Sign Language, Effective Business Writing, and more! 

Learn more and enroll here: King Co. Employee Portal

King County Retirement and Benefits holds classes regularly to help employees who are close to retiring check off all the boxes. Check out these classes that ensure you are ready as you head into retirement!

Road to Retirement (R2R) – Are you planning to retire in the next six months? If so, join your Retirement Team for this informative two-hour class. We’ll discuss procedures and forms, medical coverage options, and pension plans—so you’ll be on a smooth road toward a happy retirement. To learn more before the class, go the Retirement page and read the Retirement Guide

See available dates and enroll HERE.

Medicare 101 – Are you reaching Medicare age? Do you want to learn more about Medicare and your options as a King County employee?

Join us for a virtual seminar featuring guest speaker Jean Cormier, who will discuss your Medicare choices and options. Jenny Stark from Regence and Hannah Bachelder from Kaiser Permanente will discuss their Medicare Advantage Plan options.

See available dates and enroll HERE.

State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) – Are you reaching retirement age? Do you want to learn more about your pension through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) and your options as a King County employee? Join us for a virtual seminar featuring guest speaker Jim Mendoza from DRS, who will discuss your pension and other options at retirement.

See available dates and enroll HERE.

Social Security 101 – Are you reaching Social Security age? Do you want to learn more about Social Security and your options as a King County employee?

Join us for a virtual seminar featuring guest speaker Kirk Larson from the Social Security Administration, who will discuss your Social Security options.

See available dates and enroll HERE.

Face to face GIS training is back in Seattle. Geospatial Training Services, in partnership with the King County GIS Center, will bring four outstanding workshops to Seattle August 12-16.

August 12 – 13: Mastering ArcGIS Pro 3: Maps, Layers, Projects, and Layouts: In this 2 day course students will learn the fundamentals of using ArcGIS Pro 3.x.

August 14: Introduction to Experience Builder: This full-day course focuses on Experience Builder, highlighting how it is different from Web AppBuilder and detailing its advanced capabilities.

August 15: Intermediate Experience Builder: With this new full day course, students learn the steps necessary to build a high-level application that will impress your managers, users, and clients.

August 16: Getting Started with Arcade: How do you display data when there is no column in the schema containing that data?  Learn how to use the ArcGIS Arcade expression language to manipulate your data to generate new information based on it.

Geospatial Training Services and the King County GIS Center have partnered for almost 15 years to bring advanced face-to-face instructor-led training to the KCGIS Computer Training Facility in Seattle.

KCGIS’ comfortable Computer Training Facility is conveniently located in Seattle’s Pioneer Square area with lots of nearby parking, Amtrak, Link Lite Rail, Orca Commuter Trains, Washington State Ferris, Metro and Sound Transit busses and easy connection from SeaTac Airport.

Learn more and register today!