Mission: Employable

Latest Episodes:

Episode 202 - Urban Farming Teaches Employability Skills Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

The YSS Rooftop Gardens program is producing thousands of heads of lettuce, but its' more important export is the employability skills young adults need to change their lives. Started in 2024, the garden employs several groups of at-risk youth to grow hydroponic romaine lettuce which is then sold at farmers markets and select Hy-Vee stores. Hear from program founder Samanthya Marlatt as she disccuses how they use a combination of real world experience and classroom learning to teach these young adults about employability, and find out how they've already seen results after students graduate the program.

For more information on the program go to https://www.yss.org/rooftopgardens/

Episode 201 - A New Healthcare Grant for Employers Jan 31, 2025

Show notes

A New healthcare grant designed to help employers develop or expand their earn and learn programs is open for applications! Kathy Leggett, title, sits across the table with Mission: Employable podcast host, Ben Oldach, to discuss the ins and outs of the grant. Who can apply? How much money is available? And how can earn and learn programs help employers grow their staff for years to come? Get answers to these and more along with information about applying to the new healthcare grant in this episode.

Episode 200 - A New Deputy in Town Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

Mission Employable celebrates its 200th episode with a brand-new face! Newly hired Iowa Workforce Development Deputy Director Georgia Van Gundy joins the pod to introduce herself to the state and discuss what her past experiences will bring to the department. Find out why the former Executive Director of the Iowa Business Council tells us the unemployment rate isn't the only number we should be paying attention to.

Episode 199 – Helping English Language Learners Jumpstart their Career Dec 10, 2024

Show notes

Learning English can be a challenge, but learning career specific terminology and slang can be even more challenging. Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) is here to help solve some of those problems with its Jumpstart program. Michelle Schott, Integrated Education and Training Coordinator at DMACC, joins the Mission: Employable podcast and shares about the program that is helping English language learners talk the talk in their career fields. Find out how employers can use the program to help set their staff up for success and how Jumpstart works to specialize language learning for specific career fields.

Episode 198 - The Iowa Office of Apprenticeship Nov 22, 2024

Show notes

Iowa Workforce Development has been a champion for Registered Apprenticeship Programs for years now, but now IWD will be even more involved in how these programs operate across the state. Kolby Knupp, Program Manager at the Iowa Office of Apprenticeship joins the podcast to talk about how the state is taking over Registered Apprenticeships from the Federal Department of Labor, and what that means for employers and future apprentices in Iowa.

Ep. 197 – Iowa Blueprint for Change Nov 12, 2024

Show notes

Grant funding is helping the push for economic equality in Iowa. Iowa Blueprint for Change is a federally funded program that Iowa is using to help workers who are disabled find Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE). Brandy McOmber, Deputy Division Administrator for Iowa's Vocational Rehabilitation, and Ashley Banes, Project Director at Iowa Blueprint for Change, join the Mission: Employable podcast to discuss how CIE helps Iowans who are disabled find equal benefits and wages, and how the grant is affecting change in the state.

Ep. 196 – Helping Businesses with the American Disabilities Act Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 helped change the landscape for employees with disabilities across the country. As Iowa Workforce Development continues to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) it's important to show employers how they can make improvements to their businesses and become more accessible to Iowans with disabilities. Ashlee Cummings, Disability Workforce Manager with Iowa's Vocational Rehabilitation division, joins the Mission: Employable podcast sharing how her team is making on-site visits to employers and organizations across the state in order to help them make changes to their building or hiring practices in order to become a welcoming place for employees with disabilities. The biggest standout to this effort is that it comes at no cost to the employer.

Episode 195 - Dr. James Williams Part 2, The Year Ahead for IVRS Oct 08, 2024

Show notes

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 towards the future and see what the next 365 days will entail for IVRS and how that work will impact Iowans with disabilities.

Episode 194 - Dr. James Williams Part 1, IVRS Year in Review Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

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 celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month, IVRS Director Dr. James Williams stops by the podcast for part one of a two part series on IVRS. Join us as we take a look back at what IVRS has accomplished since joining IWD, and how the merger has helped them accomplish their goals.

September 2024 Update Sep 24, 2024

Show notes

A quick update for the end of September and a look ahead at a special series during October.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected