Northeast Iowa Community College and partners expand reach with new Business and Community Board
Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) is expanding its current Sector Board in Allamakee County to include regional partnerships with four northeast Iowa communities, in addition to members representing higher education, businesses, economic development and workforce agencies.
The expanded Business and Community Board, previously known as the Waukon Sector Board, brings together businesses, educators, Iowa Workforce Development, Allamakee County Economic Development and now community members from four local school districts - Allamakee, Eastern Allamakee, Postville and MFL/MarMac - to develop a regional action plan to find solutions to workforce challenges, identify skilled workforce needs, enhance career and technical education and boost local economies.
More than 45 members of the new Business and Community Board met November 30 to discuss objectives of the group, workforce concerns and potential solutions.
“The goal of the board is to discuss community goals, obtain feedback between educators and business leaders and identify skills needed in the workforce, so that high school students have skills that align with what business needs,” explained Wendy Mihm-Herold, Ph.D., Vice President of Business and Community Solutions at NICC. “At our November meeting, we generated ideas on how together we might increase job placement for high demand positions, decrease worker turnover, guide educators on career pathway curriculum and Career and Technical Education initiatives, as well as to increase student engagement in high growth careers and work-based learning initiatives.”
In fact, new Iowa Department of Education requirements stipulate that workforce and industry sector boards include the six established areas of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in their representation, according to Erica Nosbisch, Director of the NICC Waukon Center.
“We have re-focused the Sector Board model in partnership with four communities and their school districts to include the CTE areas. The Business and Community Board now includes current Sector Board members, CTE regional partners and Project Lead the Way board members. We will meet quarterly, and our next meeting is Friday, Febuary 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Waukon Center,” Nosbisch said.
The six established CTE areas include: agriculture, food and natural resources; arts, communication and information systems; applied sciences, technology, engineering and manufacturing; health sciences; human services; and business, finance, marketing and management.
To learn more about the Business and Community Board and the February 24 meeting at the Waukon Center, contact Nosbisch at 563-568-3060 or nosbische@nicc.edu.
The establishment of the boards, coordinated by NICC and its partners, is intended to have the purpose of providing critical and impactful connections between employers, educators, community developers, regional workforce development boards and other stakeholders in the eight-county NICC district. To address the specific CTE, educational and workforce needs of the district, the boards are being established for the greater Dubuque and Calmar areas.
