Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board
First published February 2016
Title I‐B funds, available nationwide under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), provide critical funding to help low‐income youth, unemployed adults and dislocated workers enter and reenter the workforce. WIA programs contribute toward a better educated and trained workforce capable of adding value to the economy’s output. This report examines the various ways WIA Title I‐B resources in Washington are used to empower job seekers by making good decisions about training and job placement. Those interested in self‐employment are among those who seek out WIA counseling, referral, and training services. This report particularly focuses on the ways that WIA resources are being used in Washington to help aspiring entrepreneurs access the information and services they need to succeed with self‐employment. Observations and findings presented in this report are based on interviews with Workforce Development Council staff and directors in the state’s 12 Workforce Development Areas. Employment Security Department staff helped supply the WIA Title I‐B program expenditure and participant data presented in the report.
Entrepreneurial training is an allowable training activity under WIA Title I‐B (Sec. 134(b)(4)(D)(VI)). The observations and recommendations presented in this report can inform WIA policymakers.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), a historic bipartisan piece of legislation, was signed by President Obama on July 22, 2014. This landmark Act reauthorizes and amends the Workforce Investment Act.