Workforce Board, partners make progress on coordinated service delivery for job seekers

A project to help job seekers find employment and services more efficiently is making significant progress, Workforce Board officials report. 

Several early milestones have been reached in the No Wrong Door project, which aims to create a new and unified way for job seekers to access Washington’s workforce system. 

Washington’s workforce system supports more than 531,000 customers in at least 20 programs managed by several state agencies. The system’s ability to efficiently and effectively provide a coordinated and streamlined customer experience is restricted by operational silos, including limited information sharing across agencies. Being able to find the right services across these agencies and processes can be very difficult— especially for people with multiple or significant barriers to education and employment. When customers have to repeat the process of sharing their information and often difficult stories many times, they become frustrated and may walk away from services.

The No Wrong Door project helps Washington be prepared for new changes and future demands on the workforce system.  

“The No Wrong Door project will improve customer service and support a stronger, more efficient workforce system,” Executive Director Eleni Papadakis says. “These reforms will help workers find quality jobs and connect employers with skilled workers.” 

This effort aligns with Gov. Bob Ferguson’s Executive Order 25-06, issued in September, to transform customer experience and service delivery of state government operations. 

“Improving the lives of Washington residents through remarkable service delivery is a fundamental priority for my administration,” Ferguson wrote in the order.  

No Wrong Door Project Progress  

Since the program was directed via budget proviso in 2022, major progress includes:  

• Completing a feasibility study on legal, technology, resourcing, and governance needs to guide a final implementation design. 
• Establishing the Data Governance Council, which includes leaders and subject matter experts from seven state workforce agencies. 
• Successful testing and launch of several technologies. The success of the pilot was made possible through partnerships with WaTech’s Enterprise Data Platform and WA.Gov portal initiatives. Through these two efforts, the No Wrong Door project has been able to build a data matching solution, secure data environment, and coordinated navigation tool needed for a connected workforce system.  

“This initiative embodies a forward-thinking, people-centered approach to delivering services,” says WaTech Chief Data Officer Irene Vidyanti. “We are confident that the No Wrong Door project will not only transform Washington’s workforce service delivery but also serve as a model of effective, resident-centered innovation nationwide.”