September is Workforce Development Month, a time when professionals at IWD and sister agencies around the nation will be opening up their doors to remind the people we serve of all the possible ways you can get assistance in finding a new career.

To celebrate, Iowa Workforce Development and its partners have put together a collection of open houses, roundtables, and hiring events to help Iowans learn more about the types of services we provide. Visit this page for more information about the events that are taking place near you.

“We’re here to serve any Iowan, whether you’re freshly unemployed or simply exploring the possibility of changing careers,” said Linda Rouse, Division Administrator of the IWD unit that oversees 15 IowaWORKS job centers and three satellite offices. “We hope people will come out to learn more about what we do and about all the services that we can provide – both in person and online.”

 Iowa has taken a number of steps in 2022 to address its longstanding workforce challenges and fuel our continuing economic recovery. These include:

• Launching our Reemployment Case Management (RCM) system to provide more one-on-one assistance for unemployed Iowans and speed them on their way to reemployment. To date, more than 17,000 appointments have taken place and 3,500 Iowans have reported finding jobs.
• Hiring five Home Base Iowa career navigators who have helped more than 200 veterans find new careers in Iowa.
• Announcing more than $36 million in new grants to help create 9,000 child care slots around the state and make it easier for parents to stay in the workforce.
• Providing more than $2 million for scholarships and internship programs to support at-risk youth, high school graduates, and adults obtain credentials or valuable work experience.
• Restructuring IWD to become more responsive to employer needs and to help them make better use of available Iowa resources.

“Iowa has made tremendous economic progress over the past year, but our work is far from finished,” said Beth Townsend, Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “Today is the best time to enter Iowa’s workforce. The level of opportunity Iowans have today is something we haven’t seen in a long time, and it won’t last forever. IWD is well-positioned to help Iowans take advantage by matching hard-working Iowans with employers who have tremendous opportunities open now.”

Check the link above to find a schedule of Workforce Development Month events or simply click here to find the IowaWORKS office closest to you.  IowaWORKS.gov also includes detailed information on the over 80,000 job openings across Iowa.

Employers can seek help with their workforce issues by contacting us at iaworks@iwd.iowa.gov or 1-833-469-2967. Job postings can also be sent to iaworks@iwd.iowa.gov and will be posted within one business day of receipt.