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When students returned to the Centerville campus of Indian Hills Community College this week, they were greeted by the new crown jewel of the campus, the Irma W. Winslow Education Center.
The 66,000-square-foot facility will impact every student on the IHCC Centerville Campus with 22 classroom spaces, laboratories, machine shops, a library, a cafeteria and collaboration spaces for students and the community.
Funded in part by a competitive grant through the state’s Career Academy Incentive Fund, the Irma W. Winslow Center will change the trajectory of the campus and surrounding school districts.
"We're always focusing on career and workforce education and a pathway for students to start a two-year degree and move on to a four-year college or university," said Indian Hills Community College President Dr. Matt Thompson. "Being able to have the Regional Academy right here on site with career technical education programs is a great starting point for young people in our region. In our area, proximity to a college campus is really critical."
In serving school districts in Appanoose, Wayne, Davis, Athens, Monroe and Lucas counties, Indian Hills Community College can serve high school students by preparing them for careers in fields such as construction technology, agriculture, health sciences and welding. Previously, many of those students had to travel to the Ottumwa campus to pursue education and training in those fields.
"We're really looking at this campus as a major hub for the western portion of our 10-county region that we serve and focusing on those career-ready, workforce-ready programs and the jobs of the future that provide great, family-sustaining wages," Thompson said.
Members of the Iowa Department of Education's Bureau of Community Colleges and Postsecondary Readiness joined the Indian Hills Community College staff ribbon cutting to open the facility Aug. 22.
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The Iowa Department of Education is accepting applications for the Career Academy Incentive Fund for the 2024-25 academic year through Nov. 15, 2024.
The Career Academy Incentive Fund provides targeted grants to support partnerships between school districts and community colleges that expand access to career academy programs, with a focus on programming delivered through regional centers. Annually, the Iowa Department of Education awards up to $5 million in grants for projects that best meet the criteria specified in statute. The number of grants issued is based on the amount of available funds and types of applications received.
Applications must include one school district and one community college. Proposals for new career academies delivered collaboratively between multiple school districts and a community college through a regional center will receive priority consideration.
For more information on the Career Academy Incentive Fund, contact Bureau of Community Colleges and Postsecondary Readiness Administrative Consultant Heather Meissen at heather.meissen@iowa.gov or 515-326-5378.
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The Iowa Department of Education held a statewide training for 60 college and career transition counselors (CCTC) and their supervisors at Des Moines Area Community College Aug. 7.
Fourteen of Iowa’s 15 community colleges were represented during the training. Attendees learned more about best practices for getting started, career and technical student organizations, electrical apprenticeships and career preparation for RIM students. Department team members from the Bureau of Iowa College Aid also provided important information on FAFSA, while staff from Community College and Postsecondary Readiness presented on skilled trades and career pathways.
As a key resource between community colleges and high schools, CCTCs link students with opportunities related to postsecondary preparation and career readiness, such as college applications, individual career and academic plans, career assessments, FAFSA and other supports. CCTCs also provide transitional services after graduation - during the summer months and first year of courses - for students attending community college.
Additional CCTC information is available on the Department's CCTC website.
For more information on the CCTC initiative, contact Bureau of Community College and Postsecondary Readiness Education Program Consultant Erica Woods-Schmitz at erica.woods-schmitz@iowa.gov or 515-330-0185.
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The Iowa Department of Education is now collecting public comment on the Iowa Perkins V Accountability for Continuation of State Plan through Sept. 5.
Under the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, also known as Perkins V, states are required to report annually on core indicators of performance for both secondary and postsecondary programs.
The proposed SDLP for academic years 2024-29 was drafted by the Department’s Perkins V accountability subcommittee. The subcommittee members included educators and administrators from secondary and postsecondary CTE programs from across the state as well as a representative for the Area Education Agencies and a local Regional Planning Partnership.
Iowans interested in providing feedback on the proposed 2024-29 SDLPs are invited to review the Iowa Perkins V Accountability for Continuation of State Plan document on the Department’s website.
Feedback can be submitted by email to cte@iowa.gov or via USPS mail to the Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Community Colleges and Postsecondary Readiness, 400 E. 14th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319.
All public comments will be reviewed by the accountability subcommittee for possible revisions to the proposed 2024-29 SDLPs. The final Iowa Perkins V Accountability for Continuation State Plan will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education.
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The Department of Education has published a letter to the field summarizing the legislation enacted during the 2024 legislative session.
Three recently enacted laws may impact postsecondary education and the Department's priority of empowering students with multiple pathways to postsecondary success.
House File 2615 requires community colleges to publish a link on their websites to the Iowa Student Outcomes resource maintained by the Iowa Department of Education. HF2615 also requires school districts to provide students in grades 11 and 12 with information and data related to graduate outcomes at community colleges, including the average income and student debt of graduates. College and Career Transition Counselors (CCTC) employed by school districts are required to provide this information to students.
Senate File 2411 defines and clarifies work-based learning. Work-based learning is defined as "sustained project-based learning in partnership with an employer, simulated work experiences aligned with industry-recognized credentials, high-quality pre-apprenticeships aligned to an apprenticeship, student learner programs, internships and apprenticeships.”
Meanwhile, tours, job shadowing, rotations, mentoring, entrepreneurship and service learning are clarified as being career exploration.
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Profiles of Iowa's community colleges are now available and published on IowaStudentOutcomes.com with data through the 2023 reporting year.
The dashboard provides students, counselors and administrators with a wealth of data on each college's enrollment and student outcomes.
That data is also benchmarked against state and national figures and contains completion and median wages for various CTE programs.
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The Bureau of Community Colleges and Postsecondary Readiness and Division of Higher Education are growing! Help us welcome our newest team members who will be leading our state efforts with community colleges and career and technical education.
- Lisa Washington joins the Department Sept. 3 as an Education Program Consultant for Senior Year Plus with nearly 20 years of experience in the education field. She has more than 11 years of experience working at Iowa Lakes Community College and three years working at Indian Hills Community college in areas such as adult education and literacy and high school programming.
Welcome aboard to our newest team members!
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Iowa Department of Education
400 E 14th Street
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
Ph: 515-281-5294
www.educateiowa.gov
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