Central Iowa Works
“To develop a world-class workforce system that meets the needs of both employers and workers and aligns with economic development goals.”
Central Iowa Works (CIW) is a public/private partnership designed to strengthen and expand industry specific sector workforce development efforts in central Iowa with a dual customer-focus aimed at employers and workers.
Employers, educators, community based organizations, unions and economic developers have been meeting since Fall 2007 to determine the specific skill sets required for success at each career level within their industry. Current Sector Boards are: Information Technology, Financial Services, Construction, Advanced Manufacturing, Health Care and Energy. These industry sectors were identified due to their high growth, high demand and high economic impact on the region.
In addition to career pathways maps, business leaders on each Sector Board along with representatives from education and community based organizations are developing strategies to: identify untapped labor pools, better align training programs with business needs, and establish a Career Readiness Certificate to facilitate hiring.