Grant Team

Key Partners:  Tyson Fresh Meats, John Morrell & Company, Gelita North America, VT Industries, Smurfit-Stone Container, Sioux City Community School District, Iowa Region 12 Workforce Investment Board (WIB), Iowa Workforce Development One-Stop Career Centers

Grant Amount:  $1,498,548

Challenge: The workforce challenges faced by this region include rising global competition,  rapid upgrading of plant technology, an aging workforce, increasing numbers of Hispanic Americans with limited proficiency in English, and geographic isolation of small manufacturers from the community college’s main campus.  Manufacturers are facing difficulties with entry-level employees who lack the basic academic, workplace, and technical skills necessary to succeed in advanced manufacturing.

Addressing the Challenge: 
Western Iowa Tech Community College will provide skills training leading to credentials in numerous advanced manufacturing applications.  This project will test and assess basic skill levels, to develop a program to bridge critical skill gaps, and develop customized training via multiple delivery models.  For example, the project team will develop a digital library of interactive courses, or “Reusable Learning Objects,” which are highly flexible and user-paced.  In addition, the project will create a training lab for the emerging area of boiler thermodynamics, which is applicable to utilities, renewable fuels, and food processing.  The project also will create a mobile training lab, outfitted with computers and basic training equipment, to deliver training to manufacturers across a large rural area.

Projected Outcomes:

• Train 275 new student and incumbent workers, with 200 incumbent workers earning industry-recognized credentials
• Update the credentialing system, assessment tools, training curriculum, and career ladders and lattices to reflect regional industry priorities
• Develop and host 100 Reusable Learning Objects
• Raise enrollment in advanced manufacturing training to 30 students per year   
• Introduce Advanced Manufacturing career pathways model into Sioux City Community School District, targeting 2,120 ninth grade students, with a broader outreach to over 12,203 high school students in northwest Iowa

	Andrea Albrecht Recruitment Specialist albreca@witcc.edu Phone: 712-274-8733 x 3230 B.A. University of South Dakota Duties and Responsibilites: * Responsible for increasing youth and adult enrollment in Advanced Manufacturing areas of study. * Manages Advanced Manufacturing web site. * Develops and distributes Advanced Manufacturing marketing material. * Works with high school faculty and guidance counselors, industry leaders, workforce system and college departments to facilitate outreach, recruitment and job placement of project participants.
	John Milroy Project Manager john_milroy@witcc.edu Phone: ext. 3229 B.A. Teikyo Westmar University Duties and Responsibilities: * Administers and guides project and project staff. * Collaborates with businesses, economic developers and high schools. * Stays knowledgeable of current Department of Labor policies and grant terms. * Responsible for project evaluation and monitoring performance standards.
	Rogers Pitts Curriculum Developer rogers_pitts254@witcc.edu Phone: ext. 3236 A.S. B.S. National American University Duties and Responsibilities: * Accountable for successful implementation of training curriculum to improve the Advanced Manufacturing educational programs. * Works with faculty and industry leaders to develop curriculum that meets the needs of the Department of Labor and of area businesses. * Generates Reusable Learning Objects (RLO's) to educate youth and adults. * Provides on-going measurements of curriculum effectiveness.