text: Partner in Employment (PIE) – in partnership with Community Corner (formerly Kona Kai) – recently launched its first immigrant and refugee Barista training center in the Tukwila Village.
  The café is currently open to the public Monday – Friday, from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  Through this opening, PIE and Community Corner will honor immigrant and refugee communities and create a positive economic impact in South King County. The program will focus its training sessions to immigrants and refugees and other Communities of Color living in South King County with the goal of providing youths an opportunity to develop a career path. The cafe will have drinks and food sourced locally, ran by a non-profit, designed by and for the immigrant and refugee community. The barista program will train up to 50 immigrant and refugee youths in small cohorts throughout the year.
  The youths will learn: soft skills such as customer service, effective communications, and working with a team; the hard skills such as how to make espresso and culturally appropriate drinks to a diverse community in South King County; and the history of the labor movement in Washington State and the role community leaders played for worker rights at Sea-Tac Airport and South King County. At the end of the training, PIE staff will work with the youth on developing their resumes, job interview skills and job placement.
  Mauricio Ayon will be the consultant to oversee the training center and will report to PIE’s Executive Director. Ayon Has over 20 years’ experience managing restaurants, community organizing and movement building in South King County.
  “The Barista program is a huge success for PIE in achieving our vision and mission of economic stability for immigrant and refugee communities,” Hien Kieu, Executive Director of Partner in Employment said. “The training center is designed to welcome immigrant and refugee youths as they learn important skills to become successful individuals in the workplace, while also addressing worker shortages in the service industry in our region.“
  “I am excited to welcome the training center and happy for the leadership team chosen to run it. King County is proud to have organizations like Partner in Employment doing work in South King County” added Dave Upthegrove, King County Councilmember from District 5, which includes part of Tukwila, SeaTac, Renton, Kent, Des Moines, and Normandy Park.
  Partner in Employment provides tailored assistance in language acquisition, housing stabilization, workforce entry, and job training in higher-wage industries. Community Corner (formerly Kona Kai) educate and train unemployed individuals and young people in food preparation, barista skills, food service, and hospitality.
  Tukwila Village is located at 14350 International Boulevard: