Net Impact Study
The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board is Washington’s workforce system performance accountability agent, working on behalf of the state’s citizens and employers. Among the Board’s Duties spelled out in RCW 28C.18.060 we have that the Board must:
“(10) Every two years administer scientifically based outcome evaluations of the state training system, including, but not limited to, surveys of program participants, surveys of employers of program participants, and matches with employment security department payroll and wage files. Every five years administer scientifically based net-impact and cost-benefit evaluations of the state training system; …”
This page is devoted to the net-impact and cost-benefit evaluations. The main results are provided in the dashboard below. The report is found in a link at the bottom of the page.
Net Impact
In a net impact study, we aim to answer the question of how much the program affected the employment and the earnings of the participants. Stated simply, how many more people got a job, and how much more did they earn, because of the program. We are, in other words, making a causal inference from a counterfactual.
Cost-Benefit
Net impacts at the participant level combined with program costs and tax schedules makes it possible to calculate the average net benefit of these programs for individual participants, taxpayers, and the society overall. Return on investment (ROI) is a key metric found from this analysis.
Link to Reports
More Research & Evaluation
In our Workforce System Poster you can get an at-a-glance summary of Washington’s key workforce development programs and find how many individuals are served, by which administrative agency, and where the funding comes from.
In the Workforce Training Results we track the participant profile and the labor market outcomes for the state’s largest workforce programs.