When people think of workforce development, they often picture job fairs or resume workshops. But for many adults, getting a job is only part of the challenge. Childcare, housing, transportation, and access to benefits all shape a person’s ability to work, and workforce development programs have to navigate all of it.
That’s where technology comes in. To manage the many moving parts of workforce development, teams rely on it as essential infrastructure. The quality of that technology can make or break a program’s ability to run smoothly, keep partners aligned, and keep people connected to support.
When that infrastructure works, it not only supports individuals but also strengthens the local labor force, benefiting employers and driving broader economic outcomes.
We spoke with Alicia Koné, founder of Koné Consulting and former SNAP Director for Washington State, to explore how technology enables this important work.
How fragmented systems impact workforce development programs
Government agencies and nonprofits that support underemployed or unemployed adults aren’t usually working alone. According to Alicia, it’s common for five to ten organizations to be involved with a single person, depending on what barriers they’re up against.
But even when everyone’s working toward the same goal, each agency has its own systems and rules, which often makes it hard to coordinate. Strict data policies and clunky tools can block programs from sharing information even when they’re helping the same family.
“You’ve got a housing agency, childcare assistance, behavioral health, substance use support, and a workforce agency,” Alicia explained. “And there’s no easy way to track what’s happening across all of those in one place.”
That fragmentation can create real risk. People fall through the cracks, benefits lapse, and critical support gets delayed — not because help isn’t available, but because infrastructure can’t coordinate.
Beam’s multi-payments feature was built for this exact complexity. It allows administrators to send payments to multiple agencies, service providers, and employers, while keeping a unified ledger to simplify tracking and reporting.
The role of technology in reducing barriers to employment
Great technology is a critical part of making workforce development systems work for the people who rely on them. And while interoperability is still a challenge, the right tools can play a powerful role in making these programs more effective.
Here are four core roles that technology plays in making workforce programs more effective:
1. Streamlined work requirement tracking
To stay eligible for programs like SNAP or Medicaid, many participants now have to document approved work activities like job training, coursework, or volunteer hours. Without reliable tools, this process is often confusing for participants and time-consuming for staff, who may end up tracking down paperwork or piecing together email trails.
“These are new populations who have to track work activity in order to maintain their benefits,” Alicia said. “And if they don’t, they lose their food.”
Technology can ease that burden by creating a single place to log and verify activities, helping people keep their benefits and giving staff the documentation they need to support them.
As policies evolve, workforce programs will increasingly need tools that help people meet these requirements without falling through the cracks. For employers, this means a more stable, benefits-eligible workforce with fewer disruptions due to lost coverage or compliance issues.
2. Secure and selective access to sensitive information
Workforce development often involves deeply personal data, including health records, housing status, and benefit history. That information needs to be protected, but it also needs to move across teams safely.
“Access to sensitive information has to be based on user roles,” Alicia explained. She emphasized that Beam’s user-based access model is one reason it stands out because it allows staff to view only what they need, based on their role in the program, while keeping everything else private and secure.
3. Support that grows with the program
Technology plays a vital role in supporting program growth. Scalable tools allow teams to pilot new initiatives, respond to policy changes, and add partner organizations without disrupting core operations or slowing support efforts.
Alicia noted that this kind of flexibility is essential for long-term success. It allows systems to grow alongside the communities they serve without requiring a full rebuild at every stage.
4. Reduced burden on both staff and participants
When systems don’t integrate well, frontline workers spend hours managing data instead of supporting their communities. Participants end up repeating their stories, filling out duplicate forms, and navigating a confusing web of disconnected programs.
While some of these hassles remain due to privacy restrictions, the right technology can ease administrative friction. Alicia shared an example from a county-based economic security pilot. During the pandemic, the team built a quick case coordination system across 11 partner organizations.
“That experience proved that even a basic shared system is better than none,” she said. “It helped us stay focused on the participant, not the paperwork.”
That shift in focus improves program delivery and ultimately supports stronger labor participation, which is a key driver of local economic health. Beam’s platform is built to support these outcomes by helping teams manage sensitive information securely and reducing friction for both service providers and the communities they serve.
Tech that strengthens communities and local economies
Technology can’t solve every complexity within workforce development, but it plays a critical role in helping communities stay connected to support. When the systems work, people can access the resources they need to stay employed, remain healthy, and contribute to local economic growth.
As Alicia said, “People are doing the work. The system just needs to meet them there.”
Want to see how Beam supports workforce development teams in action? Watch a short demo to explore the platform.
