Articles Tagged: Kirkwood

Early childhood educators and paraprofessionals are two career fields facing workforce shortages.

Iowa community colleges are seeing a rebound in enrollment numbers since the pandemic with a growing number of high schoolers earning college credits through joint enrollment program.

See nearly 100 looks on the runway with a message focused on sustainable fashion.

Hospitals, clinics, senior-living communities, long-term care facilities, and in-home services are struggling to retain certified nursing assistants, recruiting them, or even get them to show up for interviews.

Given that care facilities and colleges alike are desperate for certified nursing assistants, they’re offering a variety of training options for traditional and non-traditional students — for teens in high school, moms heading back to work, men eyeing change, or even older workers reversing retirement plans.

Kirkwood Community College is hosting a screening of “13th,” a 2016 documentary about the history of racial inequality in the U.S., on Feb. 23 at Paramount Theatre. There will be a Q&A session with Kevin Gannon, a Des Moines history professor who contributed to the film.

Students learn how to melt and shape glass during the intro to glass class at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.

As Iowa community college enrollment drops, tuition ticks up, perpetuating a cycle – influenced by a range of factors like COVID, the economy, and the need to balance a budget – that mirrors community college trends nationally threatening their ability to meet workforce demands.

Cedar Rapids will allocate $500,000 of its federal American Rescue Plan Act funds toward the College Career Connection program, a new workforce partnership with Kirkwood Community College that will be the first “college promise” initiative among Iowa cities.

“I want to get it right, so we we're looking at the language to make sure it does what the intent was to do (because) really what we’re trying to do is not tax retirement income,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said while at Van Meter in Cedar Rapids.

Kirkwood student Haji Ali is building a well in his hometown in Ethiopia to provide clean water for its community, using a $10,000 grant and other donations. The well is is expected to be completed this year and will operate on solar power.

Truck drivers around the nation are seeing pay increases in the tens of thousands, and students are being offered six-figure salaries when they finish training programs.

Once again, fewer students enrolled in Iowa’s 15 community colleges this fall — continuing a decadelong slide that COVID exacerbated, driving a 7.5 percent drop from fall 2019 to fall 2021.

Kirkwood Community College on Monday announced it has landed more than $2.5 million in federal support to help disadvantaged students earn a degree.

Last year, 95.9 percent of Iowans seeking a high school equivalency diploma passed the HiSET exam compared with 80.5 percent nationally.