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Gov. Reynolds announces
members of new Work-Based Learning Advisory Board
DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday announced the members of
the new Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning Advisory Board. The governor
established the virtual clearinghouse by Executive Order No. 1 to expand
high-quality, real-world work-based learning experiences for K-12 students.
This is in keeping with the Future Ready Iowa goal of 70 percent of our
workforce having education or training by 2025. The clearinghouse will go live
by July 1, 2019.
“The benefits of
work-based learning include connecting our classrooms to future careers with
hands-on projects designed by educators and employers,” Gov. Reynolds said.
“The clearinghouse will open up more opportunities for school-business
partnerships that help students develop technical and problem-solving skills. This
is crucial so more young people have great job opportunities and employers can
hire the skilled workers they need.”
The Iowa
Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning is a joint venture of the Iowa Department
of Education, Iowa Workforce Development and Iowa Area Education Agencies (AEA)
Learning Online. In addition to facilitating K-12 school-business partnerships,
the clearinghouse will assemble an inventory of established and newly created
work-based learning options for K-12 students as well as for students in
post-secondary education and training programs.
Iowa Education
Director Ryan Wise and Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend will
lead the clearinghouse
advisory board, which includes representatives of business and
industry, education, nonprofits, elected leaders and students. Fareway Stores,
Inc. is the first business to partner with the state on the clearinghouse.
Iowa already has a
number of successful work-based learning options to expand upon. That includes
the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council’s STEM BEST program, with 37 projects
involving 39 schools or school districts and more than 360 employers with
face-to-face school-business partnerships. It also includes the Statewide
Work-Based Learning Intermediary
Network operated by
Iowa’s 15 community colleges to provide a range of options from job shadowing
to internships.
“We are committed to
growing work-based learning opportunities as quickly as possible by launching
more face-to-face as well as online school-business partnerships,” Lt. Gov.
Adam Gregg said. “The clearinghouse will help us make relevant work-based
learning more readily accessible to many more K-12 students across the state,
especially in rural communities.”
The 2018 Legislature
approved Gov. Reynolds’ $250,000 budget recommendation for the clearinghouse as
part of the Future Ready Iowa Initiative.
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www.iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov
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