Winners:

Best training & education programs

• Verity Credit Union
• Premera Blue Cross
• The Fairmont Olympic Hotel

In this category, votes were cast for everything from on-the-job software training to paid-for tuition at the University of Washington. Verity Credit Union's employees raved about the in-house "Verity University," the internship programs available for its employees, and the encouragement the company gives them to continue their educations. Premera Blue Cross workers talked about the intensive training for new hires, great career development opportunities and even financial help with their graduate school tuition. It turns out the hospitality industry is no slouch in the training department, either: The staff of the Fairmont Olympic commented upon the intensive orientation and training that takes place constantly at the Seattle hotel.

Honorable mention:

Boeing
Help with college tuition is just one of the many perks of working for Boeing. According to one employee, the aviation giant "offers free continued education to all full-time employees. Take whatever you want -- from cooking to physics."