Two years ahead of schedule, Future Ready Iowa has reached its goal of ensuring 70% of Iowans in the workforce have some form of education or training after high school.

Despite making it to this milestone, Iowa鈥檚 business and academic leaders say they are still working to fill labor gaps in high-need industries.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds set the when she signed the Future Ready Iowa Act in 2018 with the aim of bolstering and expanding the state鈥檚 workforce through the creation of resources and funding for learners, educators and employers.

Community Colleges for Iowa Executive Director Emily Shields said it鈥檚 necessary to make postsecondary learning more accessible, as a high school education alone isn鈥檛 enough to find gainful employment.

鈥淭he careers of today and the future, nearly all of them require education or training beyond high school,鈥� Shields said. 鈥淪o if we want our economy to be successful and families to be successful in our economy, that鈥檚 just something that I would say nearly everyone needs.鈥�

Support programs offered by include grants for creating and expanding child-care resources, apprenticeships, summer internships and commercial driver鈥檚 license training, as well as scholarships for students looking to close the gap between financial aid and the cost of attending post-secondary education or training.

Last-Dollar Scholarships and Future Ready Iowa Grant funding are limited to those exploring , which are in fields that include manufacturing, construction, education and health care.

Kirkwood Community College President Kristie Fisher said the Future Ready Iowa program has pointed community colleges in the same direction in terms of addressing workforce needs, and connected them with the employers to learn what issues they鈥檙e facing and the funding and resources to help tackle them.

鈥淲e spend a lot of time talking with our local partners to see what they need and figuring out how we, as Kirkwood, can fill that, and our colleagues across the state all do that,鈥� Fisher said. 鈥淎ll the community colleges are really good at doing that work.鈥�

A huge focus of the college is on workforce needs, in both its degree and non-degree paths. While Kirkwood has seen growth in its two-year programs, Fisher said, what鈥檚 been more exciting is the expansion of its short-term training, in which students earn credentials or certification in a career path and can quickly enter the workforce.

In the past four years, Kirkwood has taught around 1,300 low-income students, helping them find the funds for tuition and books, with almost 80% completing the training. This is a significant percentage, Fisher said, given the barriers these people face to undergoing training and looking for work.

Shields said Community Colleges for Iowa and the colleges it serves have worked to match the programs and resources they offer to the needs of people and the economy, including expanding short-term training and credential programs.

Last-Dollar Scholarships have helped more students get into these trainings, Fisher said, because they can be applied where some federal funding cannot. Going even further, Iowa Association of Business and Industry Vice President of Public Policy JD Davis said these scholarships have helped employers fill jobs.

鈥淲hen we鈥檝e identified what is needed in the community for job training, and then the training goes to a kid that鈥檚 going to go through the community college, that really has changed the quality of the applicants that show up for work,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 been tremendously successful.鈥�

However, Iowa is still seeing workforce shortage in certain industries even as the qualified workforce grows. Davis said the association鈥檚 main legislative session priorities revolve around the same issues as years past: workforce needs and barriers to employment. Those barriers include access to child care, training and housing.

One of Reynolds鈥� workforce priorities in is refocusing on current high school students as Iowa鈥檚 next generation of workers, and using Future Ready Iowa programs to prepare them for finding careers in high-demand jobs.

That would include creating a $30 million fund to support work-based learning programs with existing funding and changing the Last Dollar Scholarship program to reward students with work-based learning experience and in high-demand industries. Fisher and Shields both said they鈥檙e interested to see how this could change the scholarships and how they are awarded, assuming it is implemented.

Fisher said employers often thank her for the work Kirkwood is doing in trying to meet workforce needs, but the jobs left empty during the COVID-19 pandemic and after due to retirements and more are still keenly felt. Community colleges, employers and the statehouse need to keep working together and supporting each other to continue to fill these gaps.

鈥淓ven though 鈥� it was wonderful to be able to kind of celebrate the success of the program, one of the real successes of the program is going to be that we鈥檙e going to continue to do the work,鈥� Fisher said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 acknowledgement that we need to continue to do those things, and we know we will because we built capacity over the life of Future Ready Iowa to be able to do that work.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .

But new career scholarship accounts the state legislature created this spring have slashed costs for Bounds and students across Indiana in career training programs.

Bounds and 13 classmates at the ABC Construction Prep Academy are among 1,000 students statewide landing the new $5,000 scholarships from the state that pay for career training and extra expenses like the tool belts, hammers, squares, and eye guards 鈥� which used to be out-of-pocket costs for students.

鈥淚 feel like I would still be able to get stuff done (without the scholarship), but I definitely think it helps me with better tools,鈥� Bounds said.

The state will spend about $5 million this school year on scholarships for the first 1,000 10th, 11th and 12th graders to win them, then $10 million next year for 2,000 students.

The scholarships are part of two large movements. Similar to 鈥淓ducation Savings Accounts鈥� that have grown in more than a dozen states in recent years they allow students to attend private schools; and are also a major piece of Indiana鈥檚 mission of rethinking high school to provide much more career exposure and training to students.

Like Education Savings Accounts, which act like vouchers by giving money to families to use at schools they choose, the Career Scholarship Accounts give students state tax dollars to spend on job training from private training sites or from local public vocational schools.

State Rep. Chuck Goodrich, a sponsor of the bill that created the scholarships, said he hopes they will create more hands-on learning experiences for students and allow them to earn career credentials while still in high school.

鈥淲e want our students to graduate with not only a diploma, but also a credential, currency they can take with them,鈥� he said.

Beyond letting students choose training sites, Goodrich and other elected Republicans hope business and other non-profit training programs will grow or be added, now that there is state money to pay for them. Industries could create their own training for skills they don鈥檛 think schools in the area are teaching enough of, then have the state pay for students to attend.

There are concerns, though, that the scholarships will simply funnel money to businesses, , to cover training that is otherwise just the cost of doing business.

But backers of the scholarships say they could also reduce the reliance of some small, non-profit pilot programs on donations to survive and may allow them to expand.

Goodrich said high schools, career technical education programs and private trainers are all valuable partners if the state is going to make training a common part of high school.

鈥淲e’re gonna need them all to get our folks skilled up,鈥� he said.

One key way they can avoid just being a business subsidy is by offering direct help to students for needs such as uniforms, books, equipment like the tools for the Marion construction apprentices or transportation, in the form of transit passes or gas cards.

Those costs can prevent some students from learning job skills they want, said Jason Bearce, vice president of education and workforce development of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. The scholarships are a crucial 鈥済ap filler,鈥� he said, that can wipe out barriers blocking low-income students from training to help their lives.

鈥淯ntil these career scholarship accounts, I don’t believe there’s been specific state-supported funding that has ever had the kind of flexibility to be used for those types of expenditures,鈥� Bearce said. 鈥淪o that in itself is a big step forward.鈥�

Republican State Sen. Brian Buchanan praised the scholarship proposal as it was debated this spring, saying businesses tell him constantly their primary need is for skilled employees.

鈥淭he lack of workers is one of the biggest challenges employers face,鈥� Buchanan said. 鈥淭his is trying to bridge that gap. It may not be perfect, but I certainly think this is a very good tool in the toolbox and the step forward.鈥�

The program isn鈥檛 popular, however, with Career Technical Education centers around the state that already provide training for multiple fields as part of standard public high schools. They have questioned the need to pay private trainers to duplicate their efforts.

鈥淲e have never paid employers to hire or train our students,鈥� said Steve Shaw, director of Blue River Career Programs, a training center for five high schools southeast of Indianapolis. 鈥淚 have concerns about this provision鈥o pay third parties from tax dollar funds for educating high school students when it’s already been done successfully by Career Centers.鈥�

There鈥檚 also confusion about which training providers should qualify, which expenses the scholarships could cover and what value students should receive from the money. The legislature left most of those details to the Governor鈥檚 Workforce Cabinet, the state treasurer and Indiana Commission for Higher Education, which are still developing rules on the fly.

This fall, the state has started awarding scholarships on a limited basis to programs that have already been running training programs for students, like ABC Construction Prep Academy, which is run at several sites by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana and Kentucky, or the Modern Youth Apprenticeship program being piloted in Indianapolis.

Josh Garrisson, chief of staff, of the state higher education commission, predicted in October that money this year would mostly be used for extra expenses students have, with some being used to grow programs so more students can participate.

But it’s not clear that鈥檚 happening. Attempts by 蜜桃影视 to talk to students at several programs, beyond ABC that are using the scholarships, were rebuffed. Training programs said the scholarships are too new to know how the money will be spent and offered only vague promises that training will be enhanced.

蜜桃影视 also asked several programs to talk to students who are using their scholarships for transportation, but none could provide any. Some told 蜜桃影视 students don鈥檛 even fully understand the scholarships that they applied for because they are so new.

Among the programs that could not provide clear answers on what added benefits students would receive was Gaylor Electric, an electrical contractor where Rep. Goodrich is CEO. The likely value of the scholarships to his company drew some controversy as the bill was debated. Goodrich said at the time that he did not consider whether his company would receive money when drafting the bill.

鈥淲e want kids educated,鈥� he said when asked about the potential conflict during hearings. 鈥淲e want kids career ready, and I think it takes private business to do that.鈥�

State Rep. Bob Behning, chair of the house education committee, said the confusion and lack of clear gains for students so far 鈥渋s something we’re going to have to continue to work through.鈥� He said this first year, with limited numbers of providers and scholarships, is a 鈥渓earning year.

鈥淚t’s going to be an opportunity for us to learn more and to come back and think about what we have to tweak,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think by next year you’re gonna see a lot more robust offerings.鈥�

But district CEO Eric Gordon knew scholarships and a diploma wouldn鈥檛 be enough for many Cleveland students who come from families making less than $20,000 a year and never get to college.

Even as cheers still echoed from the scholarship celebration, Gordon was rallying business and non-profit groups in his bid to directly attack the generational poverty and unemployment plaguing Cleveland 鈥� a program to connect thousands of high school students to real jobs with living wages and a shot at a satisfying life.

Working mostly on Zoom during the pandemic, a team of more than 115 Cleveland leaders built Planning And Career Exploration (PACE): Here to Career, designed to create clear paths to middle class jobs for all students through internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, and visits to businesses. 

鈥淲e have a complete divide between the people who have access and awareness of all the careers that can keep them out of poverty, and the people who have no access and no awareness of the things that can lift them out of poverty,鈥� Gordon said. 鈥淧ACE is our attempt to bridge that divide.鈥� 

Already, more than 70 Cleveland businesses have signed on to be part of the program, including hospitals and a major bank chain. 

The effort comes at a time when businesses face a worker shortage as the country emerges from the pandemic, which could be an incentive for Cleveland companies to train students.

But the Cleveland program faces steep challenges. Similar programs in other U.S. cities have not reached large numbers of students. PACE must overcome business concerns about training costs and student behavior, and the logistical issuers of having students in the workplace.  

It鈥檚 also a change in mindset for the district. The long-standing goal of preparing students for the distinct silos of college or career, which later merged into college and career. is narrowing even further.

鈥淐ollege, two year college, trade school is a path to a career,鈥� Gordon explained. 鈥淏ut so is apprenticeship, internship, learn-to-earn, (going) straight to the workforce. And so the goal has to be 鈥榗areer鈥�.鈥�

A key component of PACE is making workplace learning a standard part of high school for all students, not just those in vocational programs or the top academic students. 

鈥淲e鈥檝e built it as a universal goal – everybody should have these things,鈥� said Anthony Battaglia, district executive director of career and college pathways.  

That鈥檚 a major challenge and one that requires a change in school and business culture that would set Cleveland apart from other cities. Workplace learning programs in U.S. cities have been unable to succeed for large numbers of students.  

In Nashville, for example, where an intense career exploration program has existed for more than a decade, only about 20 percent of seniors have a chance at an internship before graduating.

Though European countries have a culture of companies training youth, U.S. businesses shy away for a host of reasons 鈥� including insurance issues, concerns students lack skills to do the jobs, and school schedules that conflict with business hours. Transportation is also a barrier, particularly for students relying on limited public transit systems. Businesses also have no guaranteed return for their investment.

But many U.S. cities need to better connect students to high-paying jobs that bring economic security and a middle class life. 

with too many job seekers lacking the credentials for good-paying jobs. Others view it as an 鈥渙pportunity gap,鈥� where too many disadvantaged groups have never had a chance to learn what they need to compete.

鈥淢any low-wage workers鈥攑articularly Black, Latino or Hispanic, and Indigenous workers鈥攁re trapped in without access to career exposure, premium education, or professional networks,鈥� Brookings Institution researcher Anneliese Goger wrote. 鈥淲e must focus on job creation and educational investments that offer all residents expansive career options and to new careers.鈥�

Helen Williams, who runs educational programs for the Cleveland Foundation and helped lead PACE鈥檚 creation, said her visit to the Netherlands and Finland in 2014 inspired her to bring parts of the European model here.

鈥淲e want students to get a deep dive in what a professional career looks like,鈥� she said. 鈥淓mployers get a chance to interact with their students and think of those programs not as charity, but as really helping to develop the future workforce.鈥�

She hopes PACE can spark a gradual change in business culture here.

鈥淗ow do you make this part of the DNA?鈥� Williams asked. 鈥淗ow do you bring people together so that it is seamless? It鈥檚 really a re-thinking.鈥�

Even before the pandemic, Cleveland had a greater need to connect students to jobs than other cities. It has the highest poverty rate – 30.8 percent – in the U.S. and the worst child poverty rate in the country, with 46 percent of kids living below the poverty line.

Cleveland families made about $26,600 a year, compared to the region’s median household income of $52,100 and national median of $57,600.

Census data show just 16 percent of Cleveland adults have earned bachelor鈥檚 degrees, well below the 30% or more for the region, state and nation.

PACE aims to address those problems starting in the sixth grade when students will learn about jobs and finances, and eventually placing high school students in workplaces. 

The hope is students from poor Cleveland families will be exposed to ideas and concepts affluent and suburban parents often teach their children 鈥� careers available to graduates, jobs that fit their interests, and how to earn the degrees or certificates to succeed.

At each stage, businesses can choose how involved they want to be: At one end, companies can have tables at career fairs or let students shadow employees. At the high end businesses can offer paid internships or apprenticeships. The district hopes to eventually offer the positions to all 4,600 high school juniors and seniors each year.

PACE also prioritizes the health care, manufacturing and information technology.

Gordon has seen Cleveland鈥檚 workplace needs for years and has tried to show students what jobs are available to them, beyond the low-paying retail and fast food jobs many already have. 

The district has created specialty high schools, including one based at the county hospital and one focused on aviation and maritime careers, that do much of the work of PACE by immersing students in those fields while they also take college preparatory classes.

PACE will make those kinds of opportunities available to many more students, while also making sure that work experiences really help students. It expects students to do the real work of a job or be trained in it, as opposed to just watching or answering phones.

鈥淲e all hear about the internship where all you do is get coffee,鈥� Battaglia said. 鈥淲e want more quality internships.鈥�

Paid internships are also an especially important piece of the puzzle. Gordon said many of his students already work long hours in fast food jobs because they need money immediately. 

鈥淲e do have kids and I鈥檝e had this conversation directly: Mr Gordon, you want me to quit this job at McDonalds and Dave鈥檚 (supermarket) when I know we鈥檙e going to eat?鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have a lot of kids that are working in food- related industries because of food scarcity.鈥�

How quickly the program provides opportunities remains to be seen. 

Some businesses are giving it a try. The Cleveland Clinic, the city鈥檚 largest private employer, has committed to offering paid student internships, having employees be mentors, and helping students with resumes and mock job interviews. 

And PNC Bank is adapting the that lets students apply to work and train in entry-level bank jobs. The students are guaranteed at least an interview, if not a job, after the program. 

Growing PACE will still depend on Cleveland businesses being successful with district students. Part of that will mean easing employer worries about bad behavior and tardiness from Cleveland students, the so-called soft skills that are often a barrier to employment.

鈥淲e have to change the perception of what a district graduate or student is,鈥� school board chair Anne Bingham said. 鈥淚 think at least in the downtown business community there鈥檚 a misunderstanding of what our students are, and what they bring to the table.鈥�

鈥樷�淚 think we鈥檒l get there,鈥� she added. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 going to be slow, but I think we鈥檒l get there.”