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About MWDB

The Midlands Workforce Development Board (MWDB) is the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act Administrative (WIOA) unit for Fairfield, Lexington and Richland Counties, South Carolina. Under the Act the MWDB is committed to building an integrated workforce development system for the area that effectively pools the resources of  diverse partner agencies and delivers optimal quality customer focused service. The Board will seek ways to build a comprehensive and seamless workforce development service delivery system. Partner agencies include local area school districts, county social service providers, the state vocational rehabilitative agency, the state Department of Employment and Workforce, local community action council, private non-profits. The services to be provided to both youth age’s 17 to 24 and adults ages 18 and over include job readiness and motivation, job search assistance, job placement and job retention services.

WIOA Overview

The Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) was signed by President Obama in 2014 to reform the nation’s workforce system. WIOA better aligns the workforce system with education and economic development in an effort to create a collective response to economic and labor market challenges on the national, state, and local levels. WIOA continues the trend in workforce legislation by further engaging the private sector to lead local workforce development efforts and focuses on introducing increased flexibility and accountability of board members. WIOA encourages an improved response to labor market needs by connecting board performance to outcomes that require an understanding of the correlation between training investments and economic return. Changes in WIOA prompt Workforce Development Boards to be increasingly engaged in the business of collaboration, convening and partnership.
Highlights of WIOA reform include:

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  • Requires States to Strategically Align Workforce Programs

  • Promotes Accountability and Transparency

  • Fosters Regional Collaboration

  • Improves the American Job Center (AJC) System

  • Improves Services to Employers and Promotes Work-based Learning

  • Provides Access to High Quality Training

  • Enhances Workforce Services to the Unemployed & Other Job Seekers

  • Improves Services to Individuals with Disabilities

  • Makes Key Investments in Disconnected Youth and Other Vulnerable Populations

  • Enhances the Job Corps Program

  • Streamlines and Strengthens the Strategic Roles of the Workforce Development Boards
     

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