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Matt Grems grew up around the roar of machines, perched at the controls of bulldozer from age 12 on, working at his father’s rock quarry.
“My dad put me on a machine when I was really, really young, so I’ve run heavy equipment my whole life,” Grems said. “You can’t hear anything on there anyway, so you really kind of have use sign language and body language. It worked well for me over the years.”
Because it put him on even footing with everyone else.
Grems was born with profound hearing loss in both ears and briefly attended a school for the deaf as a youngster in Fort Dodge. Eventually, armed with some lip-reading skill and better versions of the hearing aids he’s worn since age 2, Grems would take his experience at the family business and turn it into a 32-year career digging sewer lines for a plumbing company.
Earlier this year, he started preparing for a new path: barbecue.
“I don’t think I could have or would have gotten into this without Jean and Yvette (from Vocational Rehabilitation Services' Iowa Self-Employment Program) directing me as to where I need to go and what I need to do," Grems said. "No matter what, they were on it. They were very, very helpful.”
Click here to read more about how the Iowa Self-Employment program helped Matt Grems launch his business.
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 Once again, Iowa Workforce Development employees celebrated Veterans Day at the Iowa State Fair by walking in the annual parade. Click the image above to watch a video of how our employees who are veterans said thank you to others who served.
See below for more photos of IWD at the Iowa State Fair.
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Two IowaWORKS offices changed their locations effective August 1 to better serve customers:
* IowaWORKS Cedar Rapids closed its Lindale Mall location at the end of July. The office has joined with Kirkwood Community College to open a new location at 1025 Kirkwood Parkway SW in Cedar Rapids.
* IowaWORKS Fort Dodge, previously at 3 Triton Circle, has closed. The IowaWORKS center now can be found at 330 1st Ave. N, Suite G.
IowaWORKS Staff remain in the area and will be working from several temporary sites during a transition period. The Mobile Workforce Center also will be making some announced visits to the area. For the latest information, visit https://workforce.iowa.gov/fort-dodge.
To find the IowaWORKS location closest to you, consult IWD's map of IowaWORKS offices.
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IowaWORKS career planners last month celebrated the completion of five months of training that resulted in 10 individuals becoming certified as Offender Workforce Development Specialists (OWDS).
The OWDS graduation ceremony also included five people who were certified as instructors – meaning they’re now officially qualified to teach others how to work with individuals involved in the criminal justice system to help them find employment and develop the skills necessary for successful reentry into the workforce.
Shelly Seitz, reentry operations manager at IowaWORKS, estimates that IowaWORKS has trained nearly 50 Offender Workforce Development Specialists since classes began four years ago. The training is designed to help career planners understand the challenges faced by people with justice system involvement in their past, how to prepare those people for work, and how to communicate their situations to potential employers.
OWDS graduates include both people working in IowaWORKS offices around the state and members of a six-person reentry team working inside prison walls with inmates preparing to be released.
Program supporters say helping former inmates find solid employment cuts down on recidivism, increases public safety, and helps employers alleviate longstanding workforce difficulties.
“Some of these people have the skills” to be valuable employees, said career planner Paul Reimann. “They have the work experience. They just need a little refresher and maybe some help with job leads and where they should apply. On the other end of it, there are guys who have never had a job.”
For more on the ways Iowans can help employers tap into this new pool of potential workers, visit IWD's Returning Citizen Initiative webpage.
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 More than 35,000 downloads so far by listeners around the world. Hosts Ben Oldach and Kathy Leggett will introduce you to a host of workforce programs and people making a difference.
Click to download.
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Workforce Development Month is a national celebration established by the National Association of Workforce Professionals to bring together leading business, labor, education, and other critical partners to showcase the impact workforce development programs have on building the American workforce.
Iowa will be celebrating with special events across the state, including the following IowaWORKS locations:
- Open House at IowaWORKS Waterloo, Sept. 8, 10 a.m. to noon
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Open house at IowaWORKS Ottumwa, Sept. 11, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (11 a.m. to noon - Veterans; noon to 2 p.m. - general public)
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Open house at IowaWORKS Mason City, Sept. 16, 10 a.m. to noon
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Open house at IowaWORKS Denison, Sept. 18, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
- Open House at IowaWORKS Decorah, Sept. 23, 10 a.m. to noon
- Open House at IowaWORKS Dubuque, Sept. 24, 10 a.m. to noon
- Open House for Business Partners at IowaWORKS Des Moines, Sept. 24, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
To find the event closest to you, consult our map of IowaWORKS offices.
For more on National Workforce Development Month, visit the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals.
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