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Iowa Intermediary Network (Work-Based Learning)

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The Iowa Intermediary Network is made up of 15 regional programs, each associated with a community college. The purpose of these networks is to prepare students for the workforce by connecting businesses and the education system and offering relevant, work-based learning activities to students and teachers.

Students can work through their school counselors to connect with their regional network for assistance with job shadow and internship opportunities. These opportunities will provide hands-on learning and experience in potential career fields for students who are still on the path to discovering their career. For more information on Intermediary Networks from the Iowa Department of Education, click here.

Iowa Intermediary Networks


Des Moines Area Community College, Career Discovery Network

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

  • Amy Steenhoek | 515-965-7117 | Email Me
  • Emily Marusiak | 515-964-6829 | Email Me
  • Emily Willett, IVRS Intermediary | 515-965-7006 | Email Me

DMACC’s Career Discovery Network is a program open to all K-12 students and educators in AEA Region 11/Heartland AEA. It is designed to link education to business by providing students with opportunities to explore various career options through Work-Based Learning Activities that enhance the career exploration process. We offer approximately 20 Career Discovery Days throughout each year that allow students to explore Career Pathways by learning about DMACC’s programs and also touring businesses. We also provide Small Group Job Shadow Days hosted by businesses, which allow students the opportunity to meet professionals and dive deeper into employment opportunities at specific businesses. Other programming we are involved with includes Teaching for the Workforce Conferences for Educators, a STEM Festival for elementary students, and other individualized offerings as requested by either the school or business partner.


Eastern Iowa Community College, The Talent Link

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

  • Paula Arends, Director of Workforce Innovation | 563-445-3200 X43340 | Email Me
  • Christine Caves, Coordinator of Workforce Innovation | Email Me
  • Kathy Pezley | Email Me
  • Dustin DeWeerdt | Email Me

The Talent link works to EMPOWER middle and high school young people by helping them better understand themselves and the world of work, provide opportunities for them to EXPLORE career options, and ENGAGE young people and adults with local business and industry in order to provide real-world and hands-on experiences that inspire academic and career success. Strong partnerships with our regional Sector Boards, Chambers of Commerce, and businesses have enabled us to expand our network to nearly 1,000 members representing all sectors and sizes. The Talent Link is a bi-state intermediary network created through a partnership with The Moline Foundation and the Career Cruising Network, and supported by State of Iowa Intermediary Network funds, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, and United Way of the Quad Cities.


Hawkeye Community College/Cedar Valley West, Cedar Valley Career Connections

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

  • Erin Swancutt | 319-296-2320 x2022 | Email Me
  • Kelly Kobliska | 319-296-2320 x1024 | Email Me
  • Stacy Ascher | 319-239-2864 | Email Me

Cedar Valley Career Connections prepares students and educators to make informed educational and career decisions by connecting schools and businesses through relevant work-based learning activities including worksite tours, classroom speakers, job shadows, and internships.


Iowa Central Community College, Career Connections

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

  • Megan Kruse, Work-Based Learning Coordinator | 515-574-1076 | Email Me
  • Colleen Bartlett, Career Academy Specialist | 515-574-1974 | Email Me

Career Connections works with each of the 20 school districts in the Iowa Central region based on the needs of the school. Some of the activities we have helped to coordinate are job shadows, classroom guest room speakers, business & industry tours, personality testing and financial literacy instruction. Most recently, we have focused in on Career Discovery Days wherein we highlighted a Career Pathway and interested students were exposed to activities related to that pathway. Business professionals and college instructors networked with the students throughout the day to give them an interactive hands-on day to explore the pathway.


Indian Hills Community College, Get Connected!

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

Nathan Miller, Work-Based Learning Coordinator | 641-683-5309 | Email Me

“Get Connected!” is a work-based learning initiative designed to maximize workforce opportunities for area students. This collaborative effort relies on the partnerships between local school districts, businesses, industries and Indian Hills Community College.

We connect students and educators from Area 15 school districts in Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lucas, Mahaska, Monroe, Van Buren, Wapello, and Wayne counties in Southeast Iowa looking for career information with area business professionals who are interested in preparing our region's future employees.


Iowa Lakes Community College, Connect @Iowa Lakes

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Coordinator:

Autumn Larsen | 712-362-6838 | Email Me

Iowa Lakes Community College provides work-based learning opportunities to high school students through business partnerships. Classroom speakers and panels, workplace tours, mock interviews, and career panels are part of the programming. Connect @ Iowa Lakes coordinates over 600 job shadows each school year. Program events include: Iowa Lakes Career Exploration Days, Career Day, Healthcare Exploration Day, Aviation Festival, and the Game of Life Financial Literacy event.


Iowa Valley Community College, Iowa Valley Intermediary Program

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

  • Terri Hungerford, Iowa Valley Intermediary Coordinator | 641-844-5627 | Email Me
  • Kim Brinkmeyer, Intermediary/Academic Support Specialist | 641-648-8581 | Email Me

Iowa Valley Intermediary Program is the bridge between education and business. We provide work-based learning opportunities for students and educators in the K-12 schools for Hardin, Marshall, Poweshiek and Tama counties. Work-based learning opportunities include (but not limited to) job shadows, work-site tours, financial literacy fairs, teacher externships, career discovery days and mock interviews. We take pride in our relationships with area business partners including local healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and law enforcement to just name a few. Our business partners are a key component to our program’s success.


Iowa Western Community College, Southwest Iowa Workplace Connection

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

  • Natalie Harris, Intermediary Coordinator | 712-325-3734 | Email Me
  • Jolene French, Intermediary Specialist | 712-325-3403 | Email Me

Iowa Western Community College’s intermediary - Southwest Iowa Workplace Connection - helps connect students and educators from school districts in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Page, Pottawattamie and Shelby counties in Southwest Iowa with area business and industry through work-based learning opportunities. The intermediary works with employers to coordinate classroom speakers, worksite tours, job shadows, career exploration activities, and educator externships and professional development opportunities. These experiences are designed to improve the skills of Iowa’s future workforce and help students align their career goals with their post-secondary decisions.


Kirkwood Community College, Workplace Learning Connection

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

  • Laurie Worden | 319-398-4826 | Email Me

Workplace Learning Connection (WLC) connects stakeholders to work-based learning programs and services to promote career awareness, career exploration and high quality career connected learning benefitting middle and high school students, educators and the business community within the Kirkwood Community College service footprint. These work-based learning services and programs include job shadows, internships, teacher professional development and an array of customized and age appropriate career events. Serving over 28,000 student career experiences a year, WLC partners with educators, economic development, business and industry sectors to better inform, prepare and align today’s students with tomorrow’s careers right here in Iowa.


North Iowa Area Community College, NIACC Career Connections

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information

  • DeAnn Halligan, IVRS Intermediary Network Coordinator | 641-422-4314 | Email Me
  • Kathy Moore, Work Based Learning Coordinator ∣641-422-4073∣ Email Me

NIACC Career Connections is a work-based learning program available to help students build career awareness and workplace readiness while cultivating positive relationships between business and education. Our program connects students, educators, and businesses through relevant, work-based learning activities that foster deeper knowledge and understanding of careers and career pathways. We provide opportunities for students and educators to interact with industry professionals and connect today’s students to future careers through high-quality, real-world experiences. This is accomplished through partnering with over 300 businesses in North Iowa to provide job shadows, worksite tours, student internships, educator externships, and other strategic activities. Activities focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), critical infrastructure, commercial and residential construction, advanced manufacturing, healthcare/bioscience, and information technology careers. However, all sixteen career clusters can be explored. NIACC Career Connections will collaborate with you on an idea or facilitate the entire activity for you!


Northeast Iowa Community College, Northeast Iowa Career Learning Link

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

  • Gena Gesing | 563-562-3263 ext. 452 | Email Me
  • Julie Anderson | 563-562-3263 ext. 368 | Email Me

Northeast Iowa Career Learning Link (CLL) connects businesses and school districts by offering relevant work-based learning activities for students and educators. CLL intermediary services are available to all students, educators, and businesses in the NICC region. Partnerships are essential to the development and growth of the CLL model, which focuses on programming that follows the work-based learning continuum framework of career awareness, career exploration, and career preparation to promote college and career readiness in northeast Iowa.


Northwest Iowa Community College, NCC Workplace Learning Connection

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

Allie Mouw, LIN Coordinator | 712-324-5061 ext. 342 | Email Me

Northwest Iowa Community College strives to meet the needs of their community. NCC achieves this by attending sector meetings and working closely with the industry and economic developers. The needs that are addressed through these meetings are then broughtto attention at area high schools by the Intermediary Coordinators. Workshops, job shadows, externships and worksite tours hosted by NCC are designed to fit the high demands that are present in the area. One main focus this past year has been manufacturing, so worksite tours have been set up near school districts to tour manufacturing companies within their area. Students are astonished at all of the technology and opportunities that manufacturing has to offer. Many manufacturers have simulators that they utilize for training new employees and allow students to operate these such as welding, CNC, and painting simulators. Without these opportunities available to these students, they never would receive that life-changing exposure.


Southeastern Community College, The Link

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

  • Leanne Krogmeier, Work-Based Learning Specialist | 319-208-5053 | Email Me
  • Mary Hofmann, Work-Based Learning Specialist –Vocational Rehabilitation | 319-208-5288 | Email Me

The Link is part of the Iowa Intermediary Network. We connect businesses, educators and students in order to create opportunities for career exploration via work-based learning activities. We work with all K-12 districts in the SE Iowa Region – these include Burlington, Central Lee, Danville, Fort Madison, Keokuk, Mediapolis, Mount Pleasant, New London, WACO, Wapello, West Burlington and Winfield-Mt. Union.


Southwestern Community College, Workplace Learning Network

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

Ann Schlapia | 641-782-1573 | Email Me

The Workplace Learning Network provides work-based learning opportunities to Region 14 School Districts through appropriated Legislative funds. The Network prepares students for the workforce by connecting them with business and education, offering relevant exploration to develop educational and career goals.


Western Iowa Tech Community College, Western Iowa Tech Intermediary Network (WIN)

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Coordinator Name(s) and Contact Information:

Tina Benton, Career and Industry Specialist | 712-317-3294 | Email Me

The Western Iowa Tech Intermediary Network (WIN) initiates and advances collaborations between schools and businesses to increase work-based learning opportunities. These opportunities are created through job shadows, internships, worksite tours and classroom speakers. The goal of these opportunities is to assist students in career exploration around Siouxland so ultimately the students will make informed decisions about their post-secondary education. Early connections with students develops relationships and promotes a talent pipeline for our future workforce.


 

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