Mission: Employable

A quick update for the end of September and a look ahead at a special series during October.

The Skill Bridge program creates a pathway from the end of military service to the civilian job market, and it is expanding in Iowa. Hear from one of IowaWORKS' Local Veterans Employment Representative (LVER) about how the program is adding employers to its roster, and from a current Skill Bridge intern who is finishing up his service in the Navy by working a civilian job.  Find out how the program helps service members acclimate to life outside the military, and how it can create a pipeline of veteran talent for employers who join Skill Bridge.  

You're not hearing double! There are Two Trevors on the Mission: Employable Podcast.  Trevor Zielinski and Trevor Stevens from the Skilled Trades Academy at Central Campus in Des Moines pair up to tell us about how their electrician apprenticeship program is sparking interest in high school students. Find out how the pair formed a unique partnership that got the program off the ground. 

Iowa's TPRA (Teacher Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship) Program serves as an alternate route for Iowans to become educators. Hear from recent TPRA graduate Trevor Zielinski on how the program prepared him for his new role as a full-time teacher and why he thinks TPRA is such a viable way for others to pursue their career path in education. 

While school may be out the learning doesn't stop for students enrolled in IVRS' Summer Pre-Employment Transition Services program.  Hundreds of students with disabilities across the state are exposed to several different careers to learn hands on, and see what it takes to enter in those career fields. Mary Jackson, Bureau Chief for Transition Services at IVRS , talks about the ever expanding program and how employers who are interested in partnering can get involved. 

Iowa’s Teacher Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship program (TPRA) is helping to fill classrooms across the state with teachers who can’t wait to educate our students. Jennifer Gray, Iowa Office of Apprenticeship Program Coordinator, joins the Mission: Employable podcast and talks to us about how the unique program can help future teachers get certified to teach with on- the- job experience. Find out why now is the perfect time for Iowans interested in becoming an educator to reach out to their school district about the TPRA program.

On average, Iowans are spending less time unemployed than ever before in our state’s history. IWD Director Beth Townsend has returned from Washington D.C. where she testified before a House subcommittee on the success Iowa has had helping find unemployed Iowans a new career. On this episode of Mission: Employable, find out how individualized career coaches are helping Iowans earlier than ever in the unemployment process, and why the U.S. House of Representatives want to know more about it.

An Iowa Veterans organization inspired one Iowan to help fellow veterans connect with each other and employers who could provide them careers after the military. Frank Sposeto founded the River Valley Veterans Networking Group and is calling on Veterans and employers in Central Iowa to get together and create partnerships that will last for years to come. Find out how the group works, where they meet, and how employers can get involved in finding talented Veterans in search of long-term employment.  

For more information on the River Valley Veterans Networking Group, find them on Facebook by visiting:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553038048289 

Immigrants and Refugees are often thought of as one group of people, but there are several differences when it comes to employing them. Edgar Ramirez, Refugee Workforce Liaison for Iowa Workforce Development, talks to us about the unique circumstances these populations can face, and how employers can access this talent pipeline. Additionally, hear how Ramirez’s personal story of immigration has shaped his identity as an American citizen.  

Yvette Clausen wasn’t supposed to be here.  Sentenced to life in prison following a crime she committed at the age of 17, Clausen was granted parole following an Iowa Supreme Court case that overturned sentencing minors to life without parole.  Now, as a self-employment counselor for Iowa’s Vocational Rehabilitation, she tells us how she was able to get an education while incarcerated and how she used IowaWORKS programs helped her find employment after her release. Hear more about her current journey obtaining her second master’s degree, and how she’s putting her skills to use in helping fellow Iowans achieve their self-employment dreams.