Governor Announces Employer Innovation Fund Recipients

ABI President Mike Ralston joined Gov. Reynolds at her weekly press conference where she announced the 13 entities that will receive the first round of Employer Innovation Fund grants. More than $400,000 in matching funds will be distributed to employers to provide more postsecondary training and education opportunities to upskill employees. The Employer Innovation Fund is a component of Future Ready Iowa.

During her remarks, Gov. Reynolds gave special recognition to ABI and thanked ABI members for their hard work and support. ABI played a key role in securing $1.2 million for the fund during the 2019 legislative session. The second round of Employer Innovation Fund applications will begin on Sept. 4 and close on Nov. 8. Read more about the fund and read the full news release. 

The governor also announced new opportunities that are now available for students and employers through the Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning. The clearinghouse is a virtual workspace that connects students and employers through shared projects. There are two key features of the Work-Based Learning Clearinghouse:

• A project board in which employers post real-world tasks that students complete under the supervision of their teachers.
• A business partner directory for teachers to find other kinds of work-based learning opportunities, such as internships, that employers have expressed interest in.

Read the full news release about the announcement.