Gov. Reynolds Opens Teacher & Paraeducator Apprenticeship Program to Spur New Education Centers
Governor Kim Reynolds announced a new grant opportunity directed at launching new careers for Iowans in the classroom. Applications for the grant are now open at iowagrants.gov and will be accepted through December 2, 2024, at 2pm. Visit this link for information on the funding opportunity and how to apply. The new grant opportunity is targeted at K-12 school district. TPRA 2.0 funding will support two Registered Apprenticeship pathways to help spur new careers in education: (1) Teacher Aid RA Program - awarded school districts will be eligible to claim up to $8,200.00 per eligible apprentice each semester up to the maximum apprentice amount of $32,800.00, or for a maximum of four semesters; (2) Teacher Educator RA Program - awarded school districts will be eligible to claim up to $9,500.00 per eligible apprentice each semester up to the maximum apprentice amount of $38,000.00, or for a maximum of four semesters.
Collaborative Brings Together Community, Private Colleges to Ease Transfers
Students earning an associate of arts or an associate of science degree at a community college in Iowa will have guaranteed admission to any of the participating private universities as a part of an agreement signed by the community college and private college presidents. To learn more, click here.
Northwest Iowa Community College Inducts Students into Phi Theta Kappa
Ten students were inducted recently into Phi Theta Kappa at NCC. Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, is the largest honor society in higher education with 1,253 chapters on college campuses in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, the Republic of Palau, Peru, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates, and U.S. territorial possessions. Students were invited to be a part of PTK, based on eligibility requirements that center on having a 3.5 GPA. Click here to learn more.
Iowa Central Students See Local Manufacturing
Chantland-MHS is based in Dakota City and has been in business for more than 80 years. Students from ICCC in Fort Dodge came on site to see firsthand the types of jobs and opportunities that await them once they complete their technical training. This visit has been annual over the course of several years, and this year, students were able to see a complete bagging and palletizing system in live operation and were able to ask questions about the process. This tour allows Chantland-MHS the chance to show how the product moves throughout the building from raw materials to finished product that is ready to ship out the back door. This particular day, the product happened to be 50-pound bags of chocolate brownie mix. The students were able to see the complex electrical system as well as get up close to the robotics that Chantland-MHS has to offer. To learn more, click here.
15 States with the Highest Dual Enrollment Numbers
High school juniors and seniors who pursue dual enrollment opportunities enjoy higher percentages of postsecondary enrollment and completion compared to those who don't, according to a report from the Community College Research Center. Four in every five dual-enrolled students analyzed by the research center enrolled at a postsecondary institution in fall 2015, their first year after high school. while dual-enrolled Black, low-income and Hispanic students suffered lower postsecondary outcome rates than their peers, they were still more likely to earn a credential compared to all non-dual enrolled students. Iowa had the 15th highest student participation according to the survey. Beyond the research center's longitudinal analysis of 2015 enrollees, students pursuing dual enrollment opportunities continue to grow. Eighteen states offering dual enrollment opportunities outperformed prevailing national averages by ensuring more than a third of their high school students complete a bachelor's degree within four years of high school. To learn more, click here.
CBJ's Most Influential Leaders of 2024
The CBJ's Most Influential list recognizes the people who have made the biggest mark on the Corridor within the past year, whether through their leadership, business accomplishments or philanthropic efforts. This year, Kristie fisher, President of Kirkwood Community College made the list. To see the remainder of the list, click here.
Congress May Move on WIOA This Year
The community college priority with the best chance of being enacted in the lame-duck session is reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. House and Senate committee staff members have reportedly been meeting daily to negotiate a final bill derived from the House's A Stronger Workforce for America Act, and draft legislation released by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee earlier this year. Advocacy on the legislation by the American Association of Community Colleges has focused on including two provision, each of which is in only one of the underlying bills. The Senate bill would automatically include community college programs on the WIOA system's Eligible Trainer Provider List, from which WIOA participants choose the programs where they use their Individual Training Accounts. Automatic inclusion, therefore, will mean more community college programs on the ETPL and greater choice for WIOA participants. For more information, click here.
Ritchie Industries Invests in Workforce Development with Iowa Valley BCS
Ritchie Industries, a company that produces premium automatic waterers for cattle, livestock, dairy, horses, goats and sheep, is committed to fostering a highly skilled workforce. Ritchie Industries is deeply involved in the local community, with several employees serving on advisory boards at Marshalltown Community College. Iowa's 260E and 260F grant programs are designed to empower businesses like Ritchie Industries to invest in their workforce. Since 1921, Ritchie Industries has developed into the leader in watering innovation and now manufactures a complete line of livestock and horse waterers to the highest specifications in the industry. Ritchie builds automatic waterers from the ground up, from design to prototype to end product. Iowa Valley Business and Community Solutions, a division of the Iowa Valley Community College District, plays a crucial role in connecting businesses with the training resources they need.
Helping Community College Students Build a More Secure Financial Future
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, with the support of the Department of Education and Achieving the Dream, will host a webinar on December 5, 2024, from 3-4:15pm ET, to help increase awareness of federal financial education resources for community college professionals. Community colleges serve large numbers of financially vulnerable students, who may benefit from resources and connections to help them make sound financial decisions and take empowering financial actions. Presenters include Noah Brown, Senior Advisor for the Department of Education; Anna Cheong, Community Affairs Officer for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; Sarah Gunn, Director of Economic Education at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond; Lyn Harlson, Financial Education Program Analyst at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Elizabeth Ortiz, Deputy Director at the FDIC, and Louisa Quittman, Community Development Expert, at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Click here to register.
SCC to Host Free FSA ID Workshop Monday, November 18
Individuals interested in starting college this spring can get free help creating their FSA ID from SCC staff at their special session on Monday, November 18. The events will take place from 3-6pm at SCC's West Burlington campus in room 361. Staff members from the SCC Educational Opportunity Center will be on hand to guide students through the process of creating a username and password, filling out the FAFSA and to answer questions about financial aid. The FSA ID username and password are required for all students and parent contributors and should be done at least 1-3 days before starting the FAFSA form so that the name, date of birth, and social security number can be verified by the social security administration. This event is free and open to students of any age or income level, regardless of which college they plan to attend. Students under age 24 should attend with at least one parent or guardian.
Iowa Central Community College Appoints New Board member for District 1
ICCC has appointed a new member to its Board of Directors, filling the district 1 vacancy. On November 12, 2024, Kati Lemberg was approved to take over the board seat previously held by longtime member Darrell Determann. Determann served on the Board of Directors for 20 years, beginning his tenure in 2004. In addition to his work on the board, Determann served as a liaison to the Iowa Central Association of Community College Trustees Board, now known as Community Colleges for Iowa, for more than a decade. Determann announced his retirement in early October, and a notice of the vacancy was published in the Fort Dodge Messenger as required by Iowa Code.
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