Comment: Workforce training is building futures, saving money
Published 1:30 am Saturday, October 25, 2025
By Joy Emory / For The Herald
In a bipartisan move, Snohomish area lawmakers state Reps. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, and Carolyn Eslick, R-Sultan, led the work to advance legislation that made the Economic Security for All (EcSA) funding permanent.
That’s great news for everyone who walks through our doors seeking support for job training and employers looking to our team to help fill their workforce pipeline with the skilled individuals they need to be competitive and grow.
Lawmakers and local workforce development experts understand the need to invest in proven strategies led by our Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDB).
EcSA programming has empowered residents to overcome poverty, achieve economic self-sufficiency with a focus on underserved and traditionally marginalized individuals, and end their reliance on public benefits while filling employer workforce needs.
That’s possible because LWDBs are committed to community-driven solutions, bringing together business, labor, education, and community partners. These partnerships help us weave together resources for customers, drive efficiency and spark innovation, ensuring that public investments reach the people and businesses who need them most.
And, it is having great success.
On the state level, since 2023, EcSA has served more than 6,600 Washingtonians, including over 50 percent from BIPOC communities and 11 percent who were unhoused when they entered the program. This work has helped 1,400 individuals to move entirely off public benefits and into self-sustaining careers, saving taxpayers roughly $30,000 per person.
In Snohomish County, for every EcSA dollar invested in an individual a $1.92 is returned through increased sales tax revenue and less reliance on public benefits.
Graduates from the program saw their annual income quadruple from roughly $10,000 at enrollment to nearly $48,000 after completion. The success of EcSA generated $25.3 million in returns from a $9.6 million investment in a single year.
When we see these positive outcomes for hundreds of individuals, and the hundreds more gearing up to complete their training and educational programs, we are energized to keep our foot on the gas to move our state closer to ending the cycle of poverty and accelerating long-term economic independence.
The investments in EcSA see a success multiplier with the addition of federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding. As we wait for the federal government to reopen, the budget being considered would reduce WIOA funding by 63 percent – a devastating $1.8 billion cut nationally that would eliminate WIOA Adult, Youth and Reentry programs entirely.
For Washington state, this would mean the loss of over $65 million in resources each year that directly support jobseekers and employers. At the same time, newly enacted restrictions on food and medical benefits mean more individuals will be seeking to reenter the workforce to gain access to those programs.
Now more than ever, LWDB services and expertise are needed to help individuals affected by federal changes and job uncertainty get a foothold on their future.
As lawmakers gear up for a busy legislative session and our federal elected leaders work to craft a budget, now is not the time to go backward on our investments in people and employers. Together, we can train and transform our communities through the good times and bad.
Joy Emory is the chief executive officer for Workforce Snohomish, serving Snohomish County.
