AI is shaping the future workforce in Iowa. Teachers are learning how to prepare their students

CEDAR RAPIDS — With two data center projects under construction in Cedar Rapids, educators in the College Community School District this week learned how artificial intelligence could shape the future workforce — their students.

A professional learning opportunity Tuesday and Wednesday was designed to help College Community educators understand the local economy and the vital role education plays in building a strong community and economy.

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Superintendent Doug Wheeler said educators need to talk to workforce leaders because they are “preparing students for a future that we don’t know what will look like.”

“Working together is the first step to preparing our students for better lives, so they will be happy and we will have stronger communities and a strong economy,” Wheeler said.

This year’s event — in partnership with the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance — focused on current and future workforce trends with an emphasis on technology and artificial intelligence.

Teachers began their day with a welcome from new Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance President and CEO Juliet Abdel, who began her role in July.

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“Your role is such an important factor in the future of our leaders, the future of our entrepreneurs, the future of business professionals and even service members. That’s what you bring to the table day in and day out,” Abdel said.

Later, educators toured local businesses, gaining firsthand insight into various industries and skills needed following presentations from a Google representative and AI support team manager from the University of Iowa and a panel discussion.

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‘There’s a lot of talent in this town’

The two data center projects in Cedar Rapids — being built by Google and QTS — eventually will house computer servers, data storage and other equipment that stores information and returns information to end users.

With increases in demand for artificial intelligence and cloud hosted data, the number of data center projects nationally is growing.

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The demand for these centers is “fast and furious,” Tieg Weathers, data center site facility manager for Google told teachers Wednesday in a presentation. “The world wants this.”

Weathers shared with educators his educational background and how he came into his role today. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in anthropology and ended up working maintenance and construction to help him pay tuition.

He then worked as a facility mechanic at the University of Iowa while pursuing continuing education and eventually applied to Google.

Weathers said it takes, on-average, seven interviews before a Google employee is hired. “They really kick the tires,” he said.

Weathers said they are looking for employees with the technical knowledge and expertise to do their jobs, and the cognitive ability to communicate and problem solve.

One thing they ask prospective employees is “What are you doing to better yourself,” Weathers said.

Employees at data centers are “diverse” with varying skills and experience, including electricians, mechanics and pipe fitters, Weathers said. Hiring managers are especially attracted to people with experience in the military because of their “extensive training,” he said.

Google is building a data center in Cedar Rapids because “there’s a lot of talent in this town,” Weathers said.

Preparing students to use artificial intelligence

Manda Marshall, an artificial intelligence support team manager at the University of Iowa, spoke to educators about how and when to use AI in the classroom.

“AI is something we want to utilize — not to create things for you or do you work — but to amplify what you already do. That’s what we’re finding out at Iowa is how do we help researchers do this, instructors do this in the classroom and administrators do this in their work,” Marshall said.

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Teachers play a vital role in teaching their students digital literacy. Now, they also need to teach AI literacy, Marshall said.

“We’re committed to making sure our students know how to utilize AI,” she said. “We recognize it comes with a huge responsibility of making sure we are teaching ethical use of AI.”

Marshall said there’s concern that students will use AI to do their work for them. “Instead of focusing on cheating and policing students, we are focusing at Iowa on embedding AI in the entire process.”

One example, in a writing class, is to ask students to write an essay and then ask AI to write that same essay, then compare the two.

Students at Iowa also use AI as a “study partner, personal tutor or reading buddy,” Marshall said.

“A lot of students are saying they’re turning to conversational AI not to cheat, but to help them understand concepts,” Marshall said.

Marshall encouraged teachers to experiment with AI and find the right tools for them and their classes.

One way K-12 teachers can use AI is by asking it to give students feedback on an assignment — while ensuring the AI tool maintains the student’s confidentiality, she said.

After the AI tool gives the first draft of feedback, Marshall said it’s important to review it and personalize it. “Be that human in the loop,” Marshall said.

Marshall said it’s important to let students know when or when not to use AI. Likewise, teachers need to disclose when and how they are using AI in their classrooms.

“Being transparent is extremely important,” she said.

Five panelists on the College Community district’s Career Academy Advisory Committee spoke about how AI is or could be used in their businesses.

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Danielle Monthei, the community impact manager at Van Meter Inc., said they are “all in on how we can use AI.”

The company is working on how they can “take advantage of technology to solve problems,” assist customers and stay competitive, Monthei said.

“I think the scariest part of AI is you put something into AI and that’s now accessible to everyone. We’re really worried about that, but we’ve got to hurry up and figure it out because everyone else is going to too,” Monthei said.

Jillian Walsh, senior manager of business development at Travero, said they use AI to provide prices to customers who inquire with the company after hours — in the evenings or over the weekends.

Travero is a logistics service that provides expertise in freight brokerage, rail and barge terminal services, warehouse management and transloading.

“If we’re not in the office to provide a price, you can lose that bid in a matter of minutes or seconds,” Walsh said.

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