Student Diego Garcia-Orellana and Governor Branstad.
Officials say a new state government website is designed to help high schoolers and adults “map out” how to land a job. The “Future Ready Iowa” website features a career aptitude test, links to the courses required, resume help and links to job openings.
Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds calls it a “robust tool…to help Iowans build rewarding careers and Iowa businesses to grow and innovate.”
Governor Branstad says the website may help close the “skills gap” in Iowa.
“We want to assure more Iowans have the great career opportunities that they deserve and that employers can hire enough skilled workers that they need,” Branstad says.
Diego Garcia-Orellana, a junior at Des Moines Lincoln High School, is taking college-level cyber security classes and developers invited him to review the website.
Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, Aiddy Phomvisay and Governor Terry Branstad.
“Thanks to the new Future Ready Iowa website, I can see a clear pathway to my future goal as a cyber security professional,” Garcia-Orellana said.
Aiddy Phomvisay, the director of “Central Campus” for Des Moines Public Schools, is a member of the board that helped develop the new portal.
“The career-based learning information that’s connected is not only information for students in terms of understanding the multiple pathways to education, but it’s also linking them directly to employers, knowing what is available, but also future forecasts for employment,” Phomvisay says.
The website includes a sort of GPS feature, so job seekers can research “career paths” in regions of the state.