Mission: Employable

Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation (IVRS) Director Dr. James Williams returns for the second part of our series on IVRS and National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM).  In part two we look to…

It’s been a year since Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services has joined Iowa Workforce Development.  Since then, IVRS has eliminated their waitlist for services. As we start our month of celebratin…

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 Representati…

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 te…

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 p…

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 expose…

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…

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 subcommit…

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 Dev…

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 overturn…

IowaWORKS has a brand new tool to help serve Iowans no matter where they are. The Mobile Workforce Center is an IowaWORKS office on wheels, featuring 10 computer workstations, TVs for presentations,…

When COVID hit, IowaWORKS had to take their career workshops online to best serve Iowans.  What started as a solution to a worldwide problem has become a valuable tool for Iowans who are searching fo…

Des Moines, and Central Iowa as a whole, is on the upswing. The Greater Des Moines Partnership President and CEO Tiffany Tauscheck stops by the Mission: Employable podcast to tell us all about the su…

Summer Youth Internship Programs are a great way for employers and non-profits to build a talent pipeline that will help both train and retain employees for years to come.  Program Coordinator Melani…

Home Base Iowa is one of Iowa Workforce Development’s resource for Veterans and their family members, and, there’s new leadership to guide the future of the program. Retired Marine Harrison Swift tak…

In the first Mission: Employable podcast episode of 2024, we explore how the partnership between Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) will grow in the coming y…

Come for the workforce conversation, stay for Chicago Cubs talk with Director Beth Townsend!  Take a listen as we reflect on some of IWD's accomplishments in 2023 and get a sneak peek at what the age…