Economic Security for All: A “WIOA Plus” Approach to Workforce Development for Low-Income Workers in Washington State Shows Promise

SPR partnered with the Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) to evaluate the Economic Security for All (EcSA) initiative, a workforce development model and poverty reduction initiative. Marian Negoita and Madeleine Levin wrote this blog post, highlighting findings from the evaluation. EcSA provides increased skills development, supportive services, and coaching that helps low-income families move out of poverty, an approach that SPR termed “WIOA Plus.” SPR found that participants’ median quarterly wages increased by 71 percent after completing EcSA. Although the new program has not yet been rigorously studied, our evaluation of its first few years suggests that its model of increased service intensity and individualized case management is a promising approach to addressing the needs of low-wage workers that could be adopted elsewhere.