Preparing Iowa’s Next-gen Workforce
In 2018, Governor Reynolds signed the Future Ready Iowa Act, launching an aggressive workforce policy initiative to ensure 70 percent of Iowans attained training or education beyond high school by 2025.
Thanks to the state’s strategic investments in scholarship programs for certificates or degrees leading to high-demand jobs, registered apprenticeship programs, child care, and more, Iowa has achieved its goal two years ahead of schedule.
Now it’s time to shift our focus to recruiting the next generation of Iowa’s workforce—and that starts in our schools.
Work-based learning (WBL) experiences introduce young Iowans to the possibilities that await them in a dynamic economy and the various paths they can take to get there.
- Reinvest $30 million in already-existing funds to create the new Workforce Opportunity Fund for sustaining critical WBL programs
- Allow students to earn core credit for competency based WBL programs and define “WBL” in code to ensure consistent training.
- Refocus the Last Dollar Scholar program to reward WBL experience and high demand career paths.
- Update student teaching requirements to allow classroom time accrued by Teacher and Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship participants to count toward their hours.
