"This grant is an investment in the economy of central Iowa," Grassley said. "We have a strong work ethic and low unemployment, but we're short on training opportunities for high tech workers. This money will help fill that void."
The grant will serve 11 counties in west central Iowa: Polk, Dallas, Warren, Story, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Boone, Guthrie, Carroll, Audubon and the City of Des Moines. The money will fund an information technology scholars project, which involves bringing unemployed individuals into the information technology field through classroom training and "cooperative internships" and upgrading employed individuals by increasing their skill levels through training and experience in a higher level job.
Officials estimate that central Iowa will need thousands of skilled workers in the immediate future. More than 20,000 new and replacement workers will be needed by 2005 in five key industries: manufacturing technology, information technology, health care, biotechnology and skilled trades. Just under 10,000 of those workers will be needed in the information technology industry.
Participants in the training project include Des Moines Area Community College, United Way's Dislocated Worker Center, Iowa Comprehensive Human Services, Iowa Region XII Council of Governments, Greater Des Moines Partnership, Automatic Data Processing, Iowa Telecom, Maytag Appliances and Ruan Transportation Management.
The grant will apply from Jan. 2, 2001, to Dec. 31, 2002. The population served will be 300 people, including 270 unemployed individuals and 30 individuals employed among the participating businesses.
Funding for the grant comes from fees that employers pay through the H1-B visa program for hiring temporary foreign workers.