Vision
Every Washington community is thriving, inclusive, and economically resilient.
Mission
We champion strategies, and align organizations and stakeholders statewide to enable the future of work, which ensures a successful business climate and livable-wage jobs for all.
Values
- Racial Equity and Inclusiveness: We work to end systemic racism, value differences, and welcome all voices.
- Innovative and Agile: We are nimble and creative in responding to the needs of our customers to revolutionize Washington’s workforce system.
- Collaboration: We value our teamwork, partnerships and proactively engage all stakeholders with open and honest communication.
- Accountability: We are responsible to each other and to the public to ensure the effectiveness of investments in the workforce system.
- Integrity: We hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethics and honesty. Our moral compass aligns to our vision.
What We Do
Evaluate the State’s Workforce System
As an independent third party evaluator, we track the performance of the state’s largest workforce programs to ensure a high-quality workforce training system. We are responsible for overseeing a workforce development system that includes 16 education and training programs receiving almost $1 billion annually in state and federal funds. We also set and evaluate performance standards for education programs eligible for federal and state training dollars as part of the Eligible Training Provider List.
Advocate for Continuous Improvement & Innovation
We support the continuous improvement of the state’s workforce system. To do this, we are charged with offering policy recommendations to the Governor and Legislature. The Board also administers and evaluates innovative pilot projects that can be brought to scale on a regional or statewide basis.
Support Career-Connected Learning & Carl D. Perkins Act
We actively promote a wide range of work-based learning and real world work experience to help young people transition to career success. The Board also serves as the state’s Board of Vocational Education to oversee the Federal Carl D. Perkins Act and develop policies about how Career and Technical Education (CTE) is delivered across the state.
Regulate Private Career Schools & Oversee Veterans Programs
The Legislature designated the Workforce Board as the primary agency to oversee and regulate private career schools and certificate programs, as well as non-degree programs for veterans. The Workforce Board plays an important consumer protection role in investigating and taking action on student complaints.