(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad today was joined by Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham as he signed the Iowa Apprenticeship and Job Training Act into law.
"Across Iowa we're seeing record-breaking economic development projects that have resulted in more Iowans working than ever before in our state's history," said Branstad. "The projects, like Facebook's Altoona data center, bring an increased demand for skilled tradespeople. The Iowa Apprenticeship and Job Training Act will ensure companies looking to expand or build in Iowa are met with a well-trained workforce."
The Iowa Apprenticeship and Job Training Act, which expands access to apprenticeship training programs, was signed at Facebook's Altoona data center site where 440 workers and more than 515,000 hours have been applied to the Facebook Altoona project alone.
"Economic development projects across Iowa since 2011 have brought quality, good-paying jobs to our communities," said Reynolds. "In order to continue to attract these companies, and the jobs they bring with them, we must have a highly-skilled workforce ready to meet the demands of our growing economy. The Iowa Apprenticeship and Job Training Act will expand funding for apprenticeship training, help reduce student debt and provide Iowans the skills needed for a successful career."
The Iowa Apprenticeship and Job Training Act does the following:
- Allow students to earn while they learn, rather than taking on significant student debt. They provide the apprentice with focused, hands-on training and a paycheck from day one.
- The Governor's plan triples funding for apprenticeships while reforming and improving the state's apprenticeship program.
- With over $8.8 billion in capital investments incentivized by the Iowa Economic Development Authority, demand for a skilled workforce has increased all across our state.
- Nationwide, there are registered apprenticeships for more than 1,000 occupations, with programs impacting 250,000 employers and approximately 450,000 apprentices. In Iowa in FY13, there were 662 registered apprenticeship programs, and over 8,100 registered apprentices.
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