PrintAccumold was pleased to participate in Iowa STEM day at the 2018 Iowa State Fair. Along with our CEO, Roger Hargens, Jeff Dirkx, Ron Baiotto (knee), Tyler Wright (Waukee APEX teacher), Zach Walberg (Waukee High School graduate), and Don Boss, were available to fairgoers interested in STEM fields.
Because the Iowa State Fair attracted over 1 million people, this was a great opportunity to get the message out and sparked interest in the STEM fields our employees use every day.
The event was geared to families and brought enough participants to fill the Iowa State Fair’s Grand Concourse with information and dozens of opportunities to learn how STEM education contributes to the lives and careers of Iowans. STEM Day provided hands-on experience and activities from more than 20 organizations across the state, including Accumold.
The Iowa STEM initiative has been a major public/private partnership in Iowa, most recently seeing it’s biggest momentum booster when Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed the bipartisan Future Ready Jobs Act of which Accumold played a large part. Homegrown talent is what has kept us so strong. For Accumold to continue it’s accelerated growth, we remain committed to helping young Iowans focus on STEM fields.
Accumold’s Role In Future Read Iowa
On April 3, 2018, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed House File 2458, the Future Ready Iowa Act. It was signed at the Future Ready Iowa Summit in Des Moines, Iowa. Our CEO, Roger Hargens is the 2018 Co-Chair, and our VP of Human Capital, Grace Swanson is Vice Chair of the credentialing task force alongside Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg. Their roles were crucial in this legislation.
The Future Ready Iowa initiative is designed to train Iowans for the jobs of today and tomorrow. The tangible goal of the initiative is to make sure 70% of Iowa workers have training or education beyond high school by 2025. In order to reach the ambitious goal, an additional 127,700 Iowans will need to earn post-secondary degrees or other training and credentials.
From the Iowa STEM website, “This bill changes lives by helping Iowans earn credentials that prepare them for rewarding careers in advanced manufacturing, computer science, finance, health care and many other fields,” Gov. Reynolds said.
The Future Ready Iowa Act was a perfect example of bipartisan teamwork. The governor called on the legislature to pass the Act in her Condition of the State address in January, and the bill passed both the House with a 98-0 vote, and Senate with 47-0 vote.
Check Out The Iowa STEM Video
If you know someone interested in a STEM career at Accumold. We’d love to meet them.