PROGRAMS
Training for real work — on land & on water
Alaska WorkSource teaches trades that Alaska actually hires for, taught hands-on by people who work in them. Every track is built on the same foundation: success training that prepares you for working life, case management that clears the obstacles around it, and support that continues for months after you're hired. You don't need experience, a spotless record, or a permanent address to start. You need to be ready for a change.
Who This Is For
Built for People Starting Over
Many of our participants arrive with a history of homelessness, incarceration, or addiction. That history doesn't disqualify you here — it's the reason we exist. Modeled after the nation's leading transitional work programs, Alaska WorkSource combines job training, paid transitional work, and one-on-one mentorship to help people leave those cycles behind for good.
Have a felony record? We can still train you and support you, and we'll work with you to open the doors that are available. The program moves at your pace — there's no fixed clock, and participants who don't need treatment services often reach employment faster.
Participants don't pay for the program. Costs are billed to a referring agency or sponsor — organizations like Catholic Social Services, VocRehab, Wellness Court, and CITC.
WHAT TO EXPECT
How the Program Works
Everything at Alaska WorkSource happens in a deliberate order. First comes the foundation — the personal skills that make any job stick. Then a trade, taught hands-on by people who work in it. Around both, support that keeps life from getting in the way. And past all of it, employment with someone still in your corner. Each piece exists because the others need it — here's how they fit together.
WHERE EVERY TRACK STARTS
Success Training
Skills get you hired. Habits keep you hired. That's why training here doesn't begin with tools — it begins with you. These sessions are built around the science of hopeful thinking — because hope, backed by a plan, is what turns helplessness into momentum. So before vocational training begins, every participant completes Success Training — a curriculum built around the practical and personal sides of working life.
Communication skills
HANDLING CONFLICT IN THE WORKPLACE
WORK ETHICS & ETIQUETTE
STRESS & TIME MANAGEMENT
COPING SKILLS & WELLNESS COACHING
THE VALUE OF SELF-CONFIDENCE
HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
RESUME DEVELOPMENT
INTERVIEWS & MOCK INTERVIEWS
JOB SEARCH SKILLS
CHOOSE YOUR TRADE
Vocational Tracks
With the foundation set, you pick a direction. Three tracks, three kinds of work Alaska actually hires for — on job sites, in offices, and on the water. Each one is taught hands-on by people who do the work for a living, using the schedules, equipment, and standards of real Alaskan employers, so what you practice in training is what you'll do on day one. You don't have to choose alone: your assessment, your interests, and your case manager all help point you toward the track where you'll stick.
MORE THAN JOB SKILLS
Support Around the Training
The rest of life doesn't pause while you train
Nobody focuses on an interview while wondering where they'll sleep. We build relationships with local and state service agencies to make sure every participant has the basics covered — shelter, food, clothing, and access to medical care — so training gets your full attention.
Treatment when it's needed: through our behavioral health partner Tután, participants have access to nationally accredited outpatient treatment using evidence-based approaches, with the whole family involved in recovery. If treatment isn't part of your path, your program simply moves faster.
Case management throughout: a case manager stays with you from orientation through employment — someone who knows your plan, tracks your progress, and steps in when life pushes back.
placement to permanence
Employment & Beyond
When you're ready, we connect you with employers who train and hire through the program — and we don't disappear after the handshake. Support continues for six months to a year after you're hired, with your case manager reachable for whatever shows up once the paycheck starts. Anyone can land a job on a good week. Keeping one through the hard weeks is where lasting change is won.
YOUR FIRST STEP
It Starts With Orientation
Orientation is a conversation, not a test. We'll walk you through the program honestly, answer your questions, and start building the plan — and the relationship — that carries you through. Come on your own or through a referring agency; either door leads to the same place.