Recently, Governor Kim Reynolds announced $16 million in new funding for the Future Ready Iowa initiative, thanks to a generous appropriation by the Iowa Legislature. A considerable portion of this funding was put towards the Iowa Employer Innovation Fund, for which the application is now open.

The Future Ready Iowa Employer Innovation Fund is a grant opportunity which seeks to carry out creative solutions that address local workforce issues. It will help more Iowans get the education and training beyond high school required for high-demand jobs in a dynamic, technology-driven economy by encouraging employers, community leaders, and others to lead efforts for developing regional workforce talent pools. Through engaging in innovative practices, this fund can be used to help Iowans achieve their training and education goals.

The goal of Future Ready Iowa is for 70 percent of Iowan workers to have training beyond high school by 2025. They also aim to "strengthen the talent pipeline longer term." The Employer Innovation Fund will award competitive grants to support regional initiatives that aim to increase credential attainment in that region.

Iowa Workforce Development is now accepting applications that propose new, cutting-edge ideas as well as proven strategies. 

For the application and to learn more about the initiative click here!

Rachel Harmon is the Marketing Solutions Intern at Blink Marketing this summer. She is studying Graphic Design at South Dakota State University. Having graduated from Okoboji High School in 2017, Harmon said she landed this position because she reached out to local marketing agencies.  "When I was thinking about coming home for the summer, I researched agencies in the area and then sent them all an email asking if they'd be interested in having an intern for the summer." She also stated that finding an internship in your major can be difficult in this area, so she was happy she'd taken active steps to do so.

 

As part of her role, Harmon manages three social media accounts while also picking up some graphic design work and miscellaneous projects that others in the office need help with. "One of the projects I'm working on is for our Making Waves for Children Program, which gives children from Sanford Children's Hospital a weekend in Okoboji. I've been reaching out to local businesses for things to put in goody bags that the kids could receive when they arrive." She has also been collecting donations and items for the time capsules that are going to be buried in Milford this summer.

 

Harmon mentioned that she will absolutely use what she is learning in this position in the future and that being involved with marketing has opened her eyes about how her major fits in with this field, saying, "Learning how to integrate graphic design into social media will be helpful because it can really elevate a platform ... I've also had to work a lot on my writing skills, and I've decided to take a Copywriting class soon because it is such an important part of marketing and branding."

When asked of her dream job, she stated that, "A lot of people who see my work tell me it looks like album covers, so maybe something in that area." However, Harmon is enjoying her time as a marketing intern because, "I get to do a lot. The other day I was given a project to design one of those 'big checks' they give people, which was really fun. Also, I've enjoyed working a lot with digital media because I've mostly done print in the past. It's a lot of great experience for my resume."