I have dedicated my career to helping community college students prepare for and obtain good jobs, and on February 12, 2015 Vice President Joe Biden stopped by my school – the Des Moines Area Community College – to see first-hand our success.
Here in Iowa, there are good manufacturing jobs ready to be filled. Advanced manufacturing jobs offer attractive pay and benefits packages, but by 2018, there will be a shortage of 6,672 skilled workers in this sector of Iowa's economy. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the average manufacturing worker made $77,060 annually several years ago, including pay and benefits, while the average worker in other industries earned $60,168.
But, we had two problems. First, there was a shortage of skilled workers in Iowa’s advanced manufacturing sector. And second, our state was in dire need of more training to provide Iowans with the skills they need to obtain one of those jobs and secure a spot in the American middle class.
So, with the help of a federal grant, all 15 community colleges in Iowa came together to create a new initiative to train and place workers in advanced manufacturing jobs: the Iowa Advanced Manufacturing Initiative. The community colleges purchased badly-needed training equipment, hired more instructors, and, most importantly, recruited more students into jobs desperately needed by area employers.
Because we know that students are only half the equation, as part of this initiative, the Des Moines Area Community College worked hard to cultivate important relationships with area businesses, and has created boards of business leaders to help guide our programs, training, and curriculum. The result is that our graduates are “business-ready," so they can make a contribution on their first day of work.
A specific example of this community college/business partnership that I’m particularly proud of is our Accumold Scholars program. An important area employer, Accumold worked with us to create scholarships and paid internships for students who go through our two-year advanced manufacturing program. In addition to an education, Accumold gave them on-the-job training and some income to help them with family and living expenses. Upon graduation, nearly 100 percent of these graduates are offered a position at the company. We have replicated this program with other employers as well.