By Abeer Sikder, JD, and David Barch, CWDP
When the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) honored Miranda Swafford as a Workforce Hero in 2023, it was not just a recognition of her work as a workforce development professional but also a celebration of the power of collaboration to transform lives. For NAWDP, forging partnerships and collaborations among industry organizations is central to success.
Swafford has dedicated her career to building connections and fostering inclusion and now serves as executive director of the Mississippi Valley Workforce Development Board (MVWDB) in West Burlington, Iowa. Like Swafford, workforce development professionals across the country function as community partners who unite government, industry, educators, job seekers, and others to create opportunities and improve regional economies.
During Workforce Development Month in September, The Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth is spotlighting Swafford and the innovations of workforce development professionals. State policymakers looking to enhance youth service delivery and workforce systems may glean lessons from these professionals in connecting diverse partners to boost employment for future generations, including youth and young adults with disabilities (Y&YAD).
Becoming a Workforce Hero
Swafford’s personal and professional experiences profoundly shaped her career.
“I encountered obstacles and discrimination that individuals with disabilities often face in accessing equitable opportunities,” says Swafford, who has been blind since birth.
Swafford has worked as an instructor, direct support professional, and chapter president of the National Federation for the Blind of Iowa. These experiences inspired her to support marginalized communities through workforce development.
Now, at the MVWDB, she collaborates with local, state, and federal policymakers to implement programs that empower all members of her community—including Y&YAD—to achieve their full potential. For example, the MVWDB coordinates with Iowa Workforce Development and American Job Centers (AJC), with regular partnership meetings, ongoing staff training in disability awareness, and resource sharing.
“We prioritize accessibility across all our services through our comprehensive accessibility plan, offering a ‘no wrong door’ approach,” Swafford says.
The MVWDB accessibility plan includes:
- Regular training on reasonable accommodations.
- Updated resource guides on assistive technology.
- Corrective action plans for accessibility concerns.
Promoting Disability Access
The Iowa State Workforce Development Board created a State Disability Access Committee to promote competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities and to continuously improve Iowa’s one-stop delivery system of services for job seekers. Iowa also requires local workforce development boards to maintain their own Local Disability Access Committees.
The MVWDB’s Disability Access Committee board includes members like Swafford, AJC staff, and members of community-based organizations. The committee prioritizes:
- Driving National Disability Employment Awareness Month activities with Iowa Workforce Development.
- Connecting employers with training and resources for workplace accommodations and inclusive hiring.
- Conducting outreach to engage individuals with disabilities in the workforce system.
- Educating employers about the benefits of hiring Y&YAD.
The committee also promotes financial incentives for inclusive hiring, such as:
- The Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which offers a federal income tax credit to encourage employers to hire individuals from underrepresented groups, including people with disabilities and youth ages 16–17.
- Disabled Access Tax Incentives, which help cover reasonable accommodations for employees or customers with disabilities.
Accelerating Transitions for Youth
Swafford’s work with vocational rehabilitation (VR) and schools to advance workforce development includes outreach geared toward Y&YAD that encourages co-enrollment with VR. This collaboration between school districts and VR cultivates various initiatives, such as the Transition Alliance Program (TAP), which provides year-round services to Y&YAD by:
- Working with educators, employers, and policymakers to help participants develop job-seeking and job-keeping skills.
- Supporting participants with housing, transportation, and medical matters.
- Teaching participants independent living skills.
Swafford says the MVWDB collaborates closely with VR to deliver tailored services to schools. The MVWDB presents services in dedicated classes for students with disabilities, participates in transition fairs for graduating students, and conducts informational sessions on Accelerate Iowa, a program funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.
Broadly speaking, Accelerate Iowa supports marginalized youth ages 16–24 years old by:
- Helping them identify desired career pathways.
- Offering education and training for career success.
- Assigning career navigators who build one-on-one relationships with both in-school and out-of-school youth to explore opportunities.
- Providing business services consultants who develop specialized training plans to manage success.
Accelerate Iowa also includes work-based learning (WBL), such as job shadowing and internships with local employers. WBL designed specifically for Y&YAD spans many industries, including manufacturing, construction, technology, transportation, and welding. WBL participants are employed—they earn wages and are eligible for workers’ compensation and liability insurance. Accelerate Iowa reimburses employers 50–75 percent of wages for up to 1,040 work hours during training and can pay youth for completing on-the-job training.
To further empower Y&YAD, Accelerate Iowa’s workplace readiness and life skills programs provide training in financial literacy and leadership development. Participants also have opportunities for mock interviews, resume reviews, labor market education, and virtual reality training.
In March 2024, the MVWDB hosted an event at Mount Pleasant High School in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, spotlighting careers in health care and skilled trades. Students were able to explore these career paths using virtual reality headsets.
“To ensure inclusivity, we collaborated closely with the TAP coordinator to prioritize slots for students with disabilities,” says Swafford. “Additionally, we distributed information … detailing career pathways, potential salaries, training options, and local opportunities.”
Conclusion and Best Practices
Swafford’s achievements in Iowa highlight the vast potential of inclusive and partner-driven workforce development practices. She offers the following guidance for policymakers in other states seeking to foster meaningful collaboration:
- Embody effective leadership to “generate positive change and cultivate a more equitable and prosperous future for our communities.”
- Execute a “vision of a workforce system that values the contributions of every individual, irrespective of their background or disability status.”
- Establish diverse partnerships to meet the needs of business, industry, and job seekers, making sure marginalized communities are included.