Blog Posts
Governor Signs Bill to Create Apprenticeship Office
May 16, 2023
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds this month signed a new law that will establish the Iowa Office of Apprenticeship inside IWD beginning July 1. Once operational, the new office would become the entity chiefly responsible for the registration and certification of Iowa apprenticeships. The transition will move Iowa to become a State Apprenticeship... Read More
IowaWORKS Adding 'Gig' Jobs in June
May 16, 2023
Job seekers exploring new careers on IowaWORKS could see thousands of new possibilities starting next month. Geographical Information Systems, the company that curates Iowa’s largest jobs bank, has announced that starting in June, IowaWORKS job listings will begin to include “gig” job listings, or freelance work that doesn’t involve an employer... Read More
Work Experience Program Helps Employers Hire Iowans with Disabilities
May 23, 2023
Christopher “C.J.” Calhoun loves the sense of accomplishment that comes with checking off everything on the list he’s given daily when he shows up for work at The Nelson Company in Fairfield. For roughly the past 17 months, Calhoun has been serving as one of the last checks on the machine shop’s production before its farm machinery parts go out... Read More
Navigating Ageism: Job Search Workshop Gives Advice to Older Iowans
April 20, 2023
Clayton Coder worked in pharmaceuticals for 25 years before a company reshuffling late last year reorganized him out of a job. Alarmed by his sudden unemployment, the 57-year-old Coder applied for every suitable open position he could find. After submitting roughly 300 job applications without an interview, he says he began to notice a pattern... Read More
IVRS Helps Mingo Man Find Independence in Work
April 20, 2023
More than 10 years after his first conversations with a vocational counselor, Mark Baldwin finally feels like he’s arrived at where he wants to be – in a job where he can be just another part of the team. “I just have always wanted to be an independent worker,” he said. “I just wanted to be a fulltime worker.” Baldwin has been working... Read More
Two New Faces Find a Home Behind IWD Podcast Microphones
March 14, 2023
The voices may be different, but the mission for IWD’s Mission: Employable podcast remains the same – educating Iowans about all the valuable resources and innovative ideas out there for connecting employers with skilled Iowa workers. “We’re definitely having fun with it,” said Kathy Leggett, who joined Ben Oldach as co-host of the... Read More
IWD Reorganizes to Emphasize New Office of Veterans Workforce Services
March 13, 2023
Iowa Workforce Development expects to streamline and improve coordination of job services for veterans after the creation of a new office that is bringing most veteran-related programs under the same leadership. IWD’s new Office of Veteran Workforce Services will be led by Jamie Norton, who previously oversaw veteran-related programs at... Read More
Financial Literacy Seminars - A New Tool for IowaWORKS Customers
March 13, 2023
Like most Iowa adults, Sonya Sellmeyer grew up during a time when you just didn’t talk about certain topics in the classroom – like, for example, your checkbook. “I don’t know about you, but I know I didn’t learn anything about financial literacy in school,” said Sellmeyer, consumer advocacy officer for the Iowa Insurance Division. “But we can... Read More
When the Weather Outside is Frightful...Find an Online Appointment with IowaWORKS
February 2, 2023
Jack Frost need not stand in the way of your job search. As winter deepens and the roads sometimes turn tricky, Iowa Workforce Development wants to remind you that you need not be on the physical site of an IowaWORKS job center to take full advantage of all the services that IowaWORKS offers. All IowaWORKS centers have online appointments... Read More
Registered Apprenticeships Continue to Show Their Worth
November 15, 2022
Iowa Workforce Development has spent the last few weeks meeting with Iowa employers as part of an outreach blitz tied to the launch of our new Business Engagement Division. We’re contacting hundreds of Iowa companies both to ask one-on-one questions about the workforce challenges they’re facing and, more importantly, to connect them directly with... Read More