Our agency is committed to supporting our county partners through training, technical support and mentorship. We offer a broad variety of training options to legislative authorities, engineers, and their staff in the areas of the Office of the County Engineer, county road department administration, road inventory and asset management systems, design systems and unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
One of our most popular, and valuable, trainings is the Office of the County Engineer.
Who is it for?
Training participants include a diverse mix of County Engineers, Public Works Directors, technical staff, operations and maintenance staff and finance staff. The responsibilities of the Office of the County Engineer are numerous and everchanging so taking this class repeatedly throughout your career is a must - just ask any long term or former County Engineer!
What is covered in the training?
The training covers the legal requirements that counties must comply with as well as a variety of issues that are almost certain to be faced during the course of daily business.
Our goal is to ensure that County Engineers and their staff are equipped with the latest information and knowledge they need in to meet their legal requirements AND provide quality, cost effective service to the citizens of their county and Washington State.
What should attendees expect?
Our three day training is provided in person at our Olympia offices and is typically limited to 12 participants, with no more than 2 per county. Having a diverse mix of participant counties and roles ensures we all hear and learn something outside our own areas of expertise. The training will be led by CRAB staff with many years of experience in the county family with real-world examples and experiences to share. Every training, even our seasoned, experienced attendees and presenters pick up something new or useful!
Why do we do it this way?
This unique training has been honed over the years as we continually assess and modify it to deliver the best experience possible. Spending three days together provides an invaluable opportunity to network with county peers, meet new friends and commiserate common challenges.
We have found that the small class size and face-to-face setting are vital for creating the safe, conversational environment needed to explore questions in real time for the benefit of both individuals and the group. Additionally, observing non-verbal cues allows presenters to ensure unasked or partially-answered questions are answered.
This training provides a unique opportunity to ask some tough questions in safe environment and receive some candid answers. We have a "let's explore that" attitude and opinions are strongly encouraged!
When and where can I join the training?
Our three day training is provided at least twice a year in May and December but additional classes may be added to accommodate demand. Our May 2024 class filled up quickly with a waitlist, so we have opened up an additional class in June. If you are interested, I recommend signing up as soon as possible!
A condensed, on-site version of this training is also available for individual or groups of counties on request. A one or two day option is available, with the curriculum modified to address county requests.
Lastly, we endeavor to keep this training relevant, so we ask at the end of each training that each attendee fill out an evaluation. We value your candid assessment and feedback so we can better serve our county partners with every training we provide.
