Mission, Vision, and Goals

  • Mission

    Our mission is to design a workforce system that serves businesses and jobseekers by delivering innovative, integrated, data-driven products and services that drive Iowa’s economic growth.

  • Vision

    We envision an Iowa where every business has access to a qualified, job-ready workforce and every Iowan has the skills needed to connect with meaningful employment and advance in a career.

Manager, Convener, Strategist, Optimizer Graphic

Strategic Goals

Grounded in the reform principles of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration envisions a transformative role for Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs). These boards are essential in building a responsive, effective, and sustainable workforce system that aligns job seekers with the needs of local businesses and drives regional economic growth.

To achieve this, WIOA outlines four strategic roles for all Local Workforce Development Boards:

  • Manager

  • Convener

  • Strategist

  • Optimizer

Each role is accompanied by a set of core objectives designed to ensure efficient, high-impact service delivery across the workforce system.

Manager: Operational Stewardship

Purpose:
Ensure the responsible and strategic management of workforce development funds, contracts, and board operations.

Key Objectives:

  • Develop and implement sound financial policies to effectively manage local WIOA funds.

  • Engage board members in establishing transparent management practices and fiscal controls.

  • Create and maintain a competitive procurement process (e.g., RFPs) for selecting service providers.

  • Monitor contracts to ensure accountability, contractor performance, and alignment with expectations.

  • Build a strong organizational structure that supports strategic and operational execution.

  • Form committees that provide detailed oversight, promote member engagement, and track progress toward goals.

Strategist: System Design & Policy Leadership

Purpose:
Set a long-term strategic vision and design a workforce system that addresses current and future labor market needs.

Key Objectives:

  • Conduct ongoing labor market research and analysis to understand business needs across sectors and employer sizes.

  • Partner with economic developers, chambers of commerce, and businesses to anticipate and meet regional workforce demands.

  • Develop a customer-focused operational plan that includes:

    • Number and location of IowaWORKS centers

    • Accessibility to rural communities

    • Integration of partners and services within centers

    • Customer flow and staff alignment

  • Facilitate sector partnerships and the creation of career pathways.

  • Establish a unified vision that spans all workforce programs and ensure partner alignment.

  • Develop a unified business service strategy to support employers across the region.

Convener: Partnership Development

Purpose:
Unite key local stakeholders—business, education, economic development, and community organizations—to foster a collaborative workforce ecosystem.

Key Objectives:

  • Develop and maintain a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with one-stop partners, outlining roles, responsibilities, and coordination strategies.

  • Create a Local Plan that drives alignment across workforce programs and responds to the needs of both job seekers and employers.

  • Establish an Infrastructure Funding Agreement (IFA) to equitably share the costs of the one-stop system.

  • Identify and evaluate partner contributions (including non-mandatory partners) to support an integrated, high-quality service delivery system.

  • Outline and manage shared infrastructure costs (e.g., rent, utilities, technology).

  • Ensure all partners—mandated and optional—comply with the same performance and service standards.

Optimizer: Performance & Innovation

Purpose:
Continuously assess system performance, drive improvement, and attract additional investments into the workforce system.

Key Objectives:

  • Collaborate with state and local leaders to establish clear criteria for One-Stop Certification.

  • Define and track performance metrics, making policy and service adjustments as needed for continuous improvement.

  • Identify opportunities to leverage funding from non-federal sources (industry, philanthropy, community organizations).

  • Establish protocols for securing and managing additional investments to scale innovative workforce solutions.