Claim OwnershipMission: Employable
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Check out the Iowa Workforce Development "Mission: Employable" Podcast where we discuss all things workforce and opportunity!
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Iowans who own their own businesses are vital to the workforce. But, for those interested in entrepreneurship, the path ahead might be overwhelming. For Iowans looking to own their own business, many wonder: where do you start? One place might be Entrepreneurship Professor Malinda Shultice’s classroom at Iowa State University. Mission: Employable podcast hosts Ben Oldach and Kathy Leggett as they learn what it takes to launch your own business from Professor Shultice. Learn from Shultice how the experience of running her own business helps keep the class practical and relevant to new students.
The Mission: Employable podcast is dedicated to telling the stories of all Iowans in the workforce. These stories often include sharing real world experiences of Iowans with disabilities as they overcome workforce barriers and find meaningful employment. In this episode, the Mission: Employable team sits down with the Iowa State Treasurer’s Office to highlight Iowa’s Achieving a Better Life Experience (IABLE) savings plan. This federal savings program allows Iowans with disabilities to save money without the risk of losing benefits. In January of 2026, nearly 130,000 Iowans will qualify for one of these plans. Learn more about this program with an open discussion from Mission: Employable host Ben Oldach and Deputy State Treasurer, Alicia Callanan
IowaWORKS has offices all across the state, but sometimes it's easier for workforce services to come to you; enter the IowaWORKS Mobile Workforce Center. This one-stop shop on wheels travels across Iowa making it easy for job seekers to learn about unemployment benefits, openings, and how to navigate through Iowa's largest online job bank. Hear from Driver and Career Planner Edgar Ramirez about what the mobile center has to offer, and the stories of Iowans he's served on the road.
Rural hospitals are innovating to find their future workforce. For Crawford County Memorial Hospital, that means hosting a summer camp for kids in their area who think they may be interested in a career in healthcare! Dana Neemann, Director of Education and Patient Experience returns alongside hosts Ben Oldach and Kathy Leggett to show how the hospital created a program that has already turned young campers into full-time employees. Find out how they made navigating the complicated world of healthcare easy for kids to understand, and how you can create a similar program in your industry.
How do rural hospitals find the staffing in today’s day and age? That’s the question hosts Ben Oldach and Kathy Leggett are looking to answer in part one of a two-episode series at the Crawford County Memorial Hospital in Denison, Iowa. Joining them are Dana Neemann, Director of Education and Patient Experience, and Macy Webb, Director of Human Resources to talk about their internship program, as well as the extra effort they make to retain employees once they have them hired.
Iowa has always been a major supporter of Registered Apprenticeships, but that commitment grew even further when the state took over apprenticeship oversight from the U.S. Department of Labor in June of 2024. Iowa Office of Apprenticeship Program Director Dane Sulentic joins the podcast to talk about what the IOA has accomplished in the last year, lessons learned, and what Iowan’s can expect from the IOA in the next 365 days.
This episode of the Mission: Employable podcast dives into an Earn and Learn program that’s saving one Iowa organization money while reinvesting in its workforce, Goldfinch Laboratory plays an important role in Iowa’s medical industry, testing samples and biopsies sent over by other healthcare providers. However, the lab felt they were spending too much money on temporary hires. The solution? Find and train their own staff with an Earn and Learn program. Stephanie Allen, Director of Laboratory Operations, and Nancy Leiva, Shift Lead, joins us to share how they made the decision to start this program from the ground up. Find out how the program is not only solving their staffing problem but saving them a ton of money in the process.
Mission: Employable is back in Le Mars to find out more about how the Le Mars Fire Department is using work-based learning to get students interested in becoming EMTs. Le Mars Battalion Chief John MacGregor joins the show and shares an emotional story about why he cares so much for teaching the next generation, including his son, who also joins the podcast.
Join hosts of the Mission: Employable podcast Ben Oldach and Kathy Leggett as they take a trip to Le Mars, IA. On their visit, they met with the local fire department to find out more about a Work-based Learning program that skills up high schoolers and gets them real world experience in the world of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT). Dr. Mark Iverson, Principal of Le Mars Community High School, joins the show and shares how his school got the program up and running, why it’s near and dear to his heart, and the benefits of taking learning outside the classroom.
The Mission: Employable podcast heads to Sioux Center, Iowa, to speak with Kent Heronimus, Technical Training Manager at Interstates. This episode is dedicated to telling the story of how they’ve grown from one to several Registered Apprenticeship programs. Find out how the company has navigated building programs across several industries and how they’re working to retain their apprentices when hiring them after their Registered Apprenticeship has been completed.
Hosts Ben Oldach and Kathy Leggett are still on the road in Sioux City as they continue to tell stories throughout Iowa. This episode is dedicated to a summer camp for 15-to-18-year-olds who are ready to rock a future career in the trades. Jennifer Stanwick-Klimek, Manager of Learning and Development at Thompson Solutions, returns to the show to talk about the Heavy Metal Summer Experience. While there might be a lack of amps and guitars, there's no shortage of knowledge and hands-on experience for students who are looking for a way to jumpstart their career.
This week, the hosts of the Mission: Employable podcast hit the road for more conversations about Iowa’s workforce! Ben Oldach and Kathy Leggett head out for a multi part series highlighting different employers and programs in Sioux City, IA! The first episode features Jennifer Stanwick-Klimek, Manager of Learning and Development at Thompson Solutions. With more openings than employees to fill them, Stanwick-Klimek shares how their internship program is helping fill electrical and mechanical contractor roles. The company is all in, seeing this not just as a solution for the short term, but a tool to help them build their future roster of employees.
Ben is here with a quick update about some changes to the podcast schedule in March and April.
The Harkin Institute, a non-partisan think tank established at Drake University, is a leader in developing disability workforce policy. Daniel Van Sant, Director of Disability Policy, joins the podcast to talk about an international summit the institute held in Washington D.C. and how some of the topics of discussion coming from that summit can help Iowa businesses lead the way on hiring Iowans with disabilities.
Des Moines’ Ironworkers Union is hard at work across the metro building the structures that will eventually turn into the buildings where we live, work, and hang out. However, they’re also using an apprenticeship program to build lifelong careers from the ground up. Ironworkers local 67 Apprenticeship and Training Coordinator Ed Bleimehl drops by the podcast to talk about how his apprentices develop throughout the program, and how some of their experiences can help other industries that might just be starting an apprenticeship program of their own.
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/
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.
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.
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.
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.
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