Governor signs apprenticeship bill in Bettendorf

BETTENDORF — Seventy one Quad Cities high school students had a special guest while they made their apprenticeship plans official: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Reynolds visited Bettendorf on Wednesday to sign the Iowa Registered Apprenticeship Act — Senate File 318 — and attend the apprenticeship-signing ceremony at the Waterfront Convention Center.

The bill establishes an Iowa Office of Apprenticeship within Iowa Workforce Development, which will be responsible for the registration and certification of apprenticeships.

Reynolds gave a local shoutout to Deere & Co. for “having the vision to launch the program in 2017” and congratulated the community partners who’ve helped Iowa apprenticeships grow.

  Buy Photo

“It's a remarkable accomplishment that will benefit kids and communities on both sides of the river,” she said. “I'm proud to say that a similar approach is driving an unprecedented expansion all across our great state.”

Iowa leads the nation in the number of registered apprenticeship programs and is also the first to implement a Teacher and Parent Registered Apprenticeship program — which is on track to train 500 teachers and 500 paraeducators in the next two years

The bill requires that an apprenticeship program include employer involvement, on-the-job training, related training instruction from a lead apprenticeship sponsor and paid work experience.

Those completing the programs are to receive a "portable state or nationally recognized credential."

  Buy Photo

Junior Alec Simms from Sherrard High School in Milan, Ill., will begin his apprenticeship with McLaughlin Body Co. on June 12.

“It’s cool to be recognized, I’ve never been to anything like this, so I don't know what to expect,” he said ahead of the event. “I have no idea what I'll be doing, but I just wanted to do it to learn."

For students interested in exploring a registered apprenticeship, Simms recommended they reach out to school counselors.

Employers, mayors and school superintendents were on hand for the bill signing and apprenticeship signings. “Thank you” videos were played from Iowa U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst.

Clayton Shelton, a Class of 2022 graduate from Pleasant Valley High School, reported on his experience at a machinist apprentice at Arconic.

"I'm happier than I've ever been because of that because of that hard work," Shelton said. "The impact of these registered apprenticeships on me, is the fact that I'm financially stable, with zero student debt. I have college credits, and I'm 19 years old."

  Buy Photo

Reynolds said apprenticeships work.

"It really gives these kids an opportunity to test-drive multiple different careers and then matches them up with businesses,“ she said. ”The biggest thing is, it really keeps them in our state in and communities. … Everybody is looking for talent.

"Our community colleges are just a key component of the success of workplace learning and registered apprenticeship programs," she said.

Reynolds said the bill will help facilitate Iowa's "tremendous growth" in providing apprenticeships.

"I am not going to stop until it's in every single high school," she said. "Then, we need to move into middle schools, just start letting these kids test-run different careers, do a 'career day' with businesses, just start talking about it and let them know what those opportunities are here in Iowa."

Though Reynolds acknowledged young Iowans often feel things "look greener" outside of the state, there's a "plethora of opportunity“ in Iowa.