(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Association of Workforce Boards is hosting its annual statewide training workshop today (Thursday) in Marshalltown for Iowa’s nine local Workforce Development panels. Miranda Swafford, executive director of the Mississippi Valley Area Workforce Development Board, based in Burlington, explains the group’s overall role in improving workforce opportunities across the state.  “The primary role of the local Workforce Development Board is to really oversee all of the Workforce services in their specific counties,” Swafford says. “They are a federally-mandated board and they help to develop specific programming to meet the needs of our businesses and our job seekers through our Iowa work centers.”

The group is meeting at the Iowa Valley Continuing Education Conference Center in Marshalltown.  “We are bringing all nine Workforce boards together, which will be comprised of business owners and economic development, community college representatives and a lot of other workforce partners,” Swafford says. “We are bringing in experts from outside the state to help design and drive Workforce services across the state of Iowa moving forward.”

Learn more about available Workforce Development opportunities at www.iowaworkforceboards.org.