2 Siouxland colleges to receive $1M grants for career academy programs
The Iowa Department of Education announced in a release Thursday that nearly $4 million will be awarded to four Iowa colleges. Both Northwest Iowa Community College and Western Iowa Tech Community College's Denison campus will receive $1 million.
DOGE targets Sioux City IRS and U.S. Attorney offices
The money comes through Iowa's Career Academy Incentive Fund, which supports partnerships that 'empower more students with multiple pathways to postsecondary success,' according to the Iowa Department of Education.
'Iowa is investing in its future through the Career Academy Incentive Fund,' Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement in part. 'High school students across the state gain valuable experience, skills and credentials that will not only help shape their futures, but will also build the next generation of workers in our communities.'
Northwest Iowa Community College will use the grant to create a new regional center and career academy for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in Marcus, per a release from the school.
'This initiative will give high school students the opportunity to explore career pathways, gain essential workforce skills, and help strengthen our region's talent pipeline,' Dr. Jon Hartog, the college's president, said in a statement in part. 'I am excited about the positive impact this Regional Center and career academy will have on students and our communities for years to come.'
Food restrictions for Iowans on SNAP benefits advances in Iowa House
Meanwhile, Western Iowa Tech will add career academies for health sciences, welding technology, and HVAC to its currently-under construction regional center. The building is set to open this fall, with these three programs set to open in fall 2026.
Additionally, Southwestern Community College in Creston received $1 million and Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge will be awarded over $944,000.
For more information on Iowa's Career Academy Initiative Fund, .
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Harvard Business Review
12 hours ago
- Harvard Business Review
When You Want to Quit Your Job But Feel Stuck
Many professionals have, at times, found themselves frustrated in their current role or organization. While quitting is sometimes the right answer, circumstances outside of your control can make staying the better (or only) choice. If you're among those who need to remain in an unsatisfying role, it's important to recognize that you're not without options. In our work with professionals and top leaders—Sharon as an executive psychologist and executive coach, and Dorie as an author and keynote speaker—we've identified four strategies to transform this challenging period into a valuable phase of your career. Make it your choice to stay When facing persistent negative experiences at work, your brain can default to a hard-wired state of learned helplessness, resulting in a reduced sense of control and burnout. Instead of viewing yourself as trapped, reclaim control by making an active choice to stay because the benefits currently outweigh the costs for you. For instance, instead of framing your job as 'something I have to do,' it can be useful to change your internal mantra to 'I'm coming to work on my own terms,' or viewing the company (and your paycheck) as 'funding your eventual transition.' To maintain your sense of agency, establish quarterly check-ins with yourself to reassess whether staying remains worthwhile. For instance, you could ask yourself: What aspects of the job, if any, are helping me grow? Are there skills, experiences, or contacts I can cultivate now that will help me later on? What's my red line that would make the job intolerable (triggering a different decision), and how will I know if I've reached that point? Asking these questions transforms an indefinite commitment into a series of intentional choices, enabling you to feel a greater sense of agency over your professional life. Identify previously hidden opportunities Owning your decision to stay reduces the stress of constantly trying to survive or change your situation, and enables you to access bigger picture, more creative thinking. Try adopting a beginner's mindset to see your role through fresh eyes. Even if your position no longer stimulates you, you can find new meaning by exploring cross-functional connections, learning about customer impact, or revisiting promising ideas that were previously shelved during busier periods. Alternatively, you could choose to focus more on people development or practicing deeper presence with colleagues to improve the quality of your interactions. For example, an SVP at a financial institution hired Sharon after being overlooked for a promotion. Concerned she wouldn't be able to find a similar role at another company, she decided she needed to stay at her current job even if it meant not advancing. However, by mapping organizational stakeholders and identifying opportunities to create value, she proposed and was approved for a new role leading a high-visibility, revenue-generating project of special interest to the CEO. This enabled her to navigate around her micromanaging boss, and earn both a title and salary advancement. Refreshing your perspective and considering your role from different angles enables you to see—and create— new opportunities and prevent stagnation. Take responsibility for your part Rather than blaming external factors for your dissatisfaction, identify what you might be contributing to the situation. Your degree of agency is typically greater than you realize and will determine your ability to drive better opportunities. For instance, one of Sharon's clients —a CTO at a technology company—wanted to leave, but was contractually obligated to stay for an additional year. She consciously chose to shift her thinking: 'Instead of focusing on the inadequacies of my executive leadership, I started to focus on showing up as the best version of myself.' She identified ways to improve her team's operations and build stronger partnerships with stakeholders. Those steps enabled her to implement industry-leading technology without increasing costs, which elevated her influence in management meetings and reduced the stress she felt around staying. It's useful to start by sorting out the aspects of your current situation that are within your control or influence, as well as those that are not. Choose one to three specific ways you can improve your current situation through your own efforts—without requiring anyone else to change. Additionally, you might consider developing a daily practice of setting a leadership intention each morning. Identify three specific qualities you want to embody that day, regardless of circumstances or others' behavior. For example, you might choose 'strategic, positive, and collaborative.' Even if you can't control outside circumstances you can maximize your internal experience in order to increase your sense of efficacy and job satisfaction. Use this time to evolve, not just endure It can also be useful to view your current position as part of a larger career arc, rather than a holding pattern. Use this period strategically to develop skills for your next role or identify your next move. One woman that Dorie profiled in her book Reinventing You —an unhappy attorney—used her lunch hour strategically by inviting out people whose jobs she found fascinating. After dozens of lunches, she finally found her next career. You can strive to identify at least one capability that would make you more marketable, then find opportunities to develop it in your current position by resculpting your role or expanding the bounds of your job description. For instance, if AI knowledge would benefit your future prospects, volunteer to join or lead your company's AI working group. If public speaking would enhance your profile, represent your organization at industry conferences. Additionally, leverage the familiarity of your current role—you're more efficient because you know the ropes—to create bandwidth for external development. Consider applying for board advisory positions, industry association leadership, or certification programs. You may also identify other ways to tap into flow states, such as mentoring others or immersing yourself in a meaningful hobby. When quitting isn't an option, it's still possible to transform a challenging work situation into a growth opportunity. By following these steps, you can regain your sense of agency, reduce stress, and prepare yourself for future opportunities—rather than simply surviving.
Forbes
13 hours ago
- Forbes
Yes, Job Searching Is Hard—And You Can Still Do It
Jaide Massin, Author & Exec. Coach, is founder of Soar Executive Coaching helping leaders grow with clarity, courage, and impact. Let's get real about job searching for a minute. Yes, it's going to take longer than you expect. Yes, it's going to feel uncomfortable. Yes, you're going to have to put yourself out there. And yes, you'll probably get rejected more than once. But none of that means you're doing it wrong. It means you're job searching. Job searching isn't just about finding a job. It's about rediscovering what you want, reintroducing yourself to the market and reminding yourself—and others—of the value you bring. And that process? It can shake your confidence, feel vulnerable and wear you down. But here's the truth: You only need one job. One "yes." And that yes comes when you stop trying to do it all alone and start doing it intentionally. The Job Seekers Who Get Hired Do These Five Things 1. They believe they'll get hired. Not in a fake-it-til-you-make-it way, but with quiet, grounded confidence. They show up as if the job is coming—because they believe it is. 2. They align their tools with the job they want. Your résumé, LinkedIn profile and interview answers should reflect the level and role you're targeting. If they don't? That's where a résumé writer or career coach can help. 3. They tell people. They're not embarrassed to say, "I'm job searching." They tell former colleagues, mentors, friends—even their dentist. The more people who know, the more doors open. 4. They give as well as take. They share leads, make intros and offer help because they understand that career momentum is often a two-way street. 5. They ask better questions. Instead of "Know of any jobs?" they ask: • "What skills are most valuable at your company right now?" • "Who else should I be speaking with?" • "If you were me, where would you focus next?" Better questions spark better conversations, and those lead to real opportunities. They Also Start Before You Think They Do The most successful job seekers don't wait until they're desperate. They stay aware of the market. They take interviews even when they're not looking, just to stay sharp. They keep their networks warm. In this market, you need to be one step ahead, always. Quick Tips For Staying In The Game LinkedIn is still the no. 1 place to look and network. Keep your profile up to date and aligned with your target. Engage. Comment. Reconnect. Check your frustration at the door. It's okay to feel it—briefly. But staying stuck in it won't get you results. Action will. Ask yourself daily: • What did I accomplish today? • Who can I connect with tomorrow? • What filters, companies or roles haven't I explored yet? • Who can I speak with at a company I want to work for? And If You Need Help? Hiring a coach or résumé writer is bringing in a professional to fix a problem you may not even realize is costing you. Think of it as an investment—in your future, your family, your peace of mind. If your messaging or your approach is off, it could be holding you back. And that delay compounds over time. Final Thoughts You only get one shot at your career. Don't guess. And consider not going it alone. You've done hard things before. You can do this, too. Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
Fast Company
a day ago
- Fast Company
Here's what nobody tells you about building an innovative culture—not everyone will thrive in it. (And that's okay.)
Years ago, we had a manager named Ania running one of our publishing operations. She was well-liked, diligent, and responsible. Still, we felt the business needed a more creative spark, so we brought in a rising executive to take her place. Ania transitioned out gracefully and left the company on good terms. Things turned out well. Our business thrived and Ania became a highly sought-after interior decorator, renowned for her creativity. The problem wasn't that she lacked any creative ability. The problem was that we weren't giving her the type of challenges that excited her. While she languished in our business, she thrived in a different environment. The truth is that there is no such thing as a 'creative personality.' You set the conditions for the people in your organization to be creative. But as you set those conditions, you also narrow possibilities, making the environment fertile ground for some, but barren for others. Every leader needs to learn to make those choices. Culture matters. You need to shape it with care. A Misfit Trying To Find His Place Not unlike Ania, Chester Carlson didn't quite fit in. Unsatisfied with his work at the patent department at Bell Labs, he wrote down hundreds of ideas, the vast majority of which never amounted to anything. He was eventually fired and went through a few more jobs after that. Chester was a man looking for his place in the world. There was one idea, however, that he kept coming back to. He worked on it for years, even while holding down a day job and going to law school at night. When his wife got tired of the putrid smells and explosions he made mixing chemicals in the kitchen, he moved his experiments to a second-floor room in a house his mother-in-law owned. Eventually, he conjured up a working prototype in 1939, but it was far from a viable product. He continued to tinker and, eventually, teamed up with the Haloid corporation in 1946. Together, they refined his product further, but it still cost nearly ten times more than competitive machines. They tried to interest the great companies of the day—Kodak, IBM and GE—but all demurred. Much like Chester himself, his invention didn't fit in. There just didn't seem to be a value proposition that would justify the cost of the machine. Yet Haloid's CEO, Joe Wilson, saw potential. He figured that once companies had the machines, they'd make more copies than they ever imagined. Wilson also figured that Carlson's concept needed a name that would signal that it was something truly different and, after some deliberation, settled on 'xerography.' And that's how the Xerox Corporation was born. The Rise And Fall Of A Business Model Wilson saw the challenge as a classic chicken-and-egg problem. Since nobody had ever used a Xerox machine before, they had no idea how useful they could be and weren't willing to buy such an expensive product. At the same time, unless they bought the machines, they wouldn't ever use them and see the value. But what if Xerox leased the machines for a fraction of the cost and charged per copy? Since customers weren't planning to make many copies, there was little risk in trying it out. Wilson was willing to bet that once the machines were installed, customers would discover needs they never knew they had. He calculated that the model would be profitable at 2,000 copies per month. In 1959, Xerox launched its 914 copier, which became an instant hit. The technology made copying so much easier that, before long, customers were averaging 2,000 copies per day, instead of per month. Wilson's bet had paid off. Revenues grew at a 41% compound annual rate for over a decade, and the small firm soon became a titan of American business. Xerox became laser-focused on optimizing its business model. Its profits depended on the number of copies printed and that became Xerox's key performance metric. Everything the company did—from how it designed its copiers to how it marketed and sold them—was rooted in that one simple principle. Yet the company eventually became a victim of its own success. Japanese competitors like Canon and Ricoh began selling simpler, cheaper copiers, based on 20-year-old technology, that were easier to use and needed less maintenance. Rather than staffing a 'copy room,' companies could place these smaller, less expensive units on every floor. Xerox was being disrupted. Making Space For Misfits It was around this time that the company hired a young engineer named Gary Starkweather, Much like Ania and Chester, he found he didn't fit in. Part of the problem probably had something to do with his background. Copiers were largely based on chemistry and Gary's interest was optics. In particular, he was excited about lasers. But it was more than that. Gary wanted to build something outside the copier business and, in a way that was uncannily similar to Chester Carlson's situation, the higher-ups just didn't see how it fit in with their business. In fact, his boss actually threatened to fire anyone who worked with Starkweather on the project. Eventually, he had enough. He marched into the Vice President's office and asked, 'Do you want me to do this for you or for someone else?' In the business culture at the time, this was considered unheard of behavior, clearly a firing offense. Yet fate intervened and destiny had something very different in store for Gary Starkweather. As luck would have it, Xerox CEO Peter McColough was a bit of a visionary himself. He recognized the bind his company was in and wanted to shift the firm's focus to 'the architecture of information.' No one really knew what that meant, but a special unit, the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), had been set up to figure it out. As luck would have it, the researcher there had been developing a technology called bitmapping that would revolutionize computer graphics. What they were missing was a technology that could bring those graphics into the physical world. An Organization Fit For Purpose At PARC, Xerox created a culture where creative minds could thrive. It was there that Alan Kay invented object-oriented software, Bob Metcalfe developed Ethernet; and so many other technologies were created that became central to the age of personal computers. Some of the technology was spun off into companies, such as 3Com and Adobe. It was also a place where Gary Starkweather, who had been a pariah in the old Xerox research lab back on the east coast, found he fit right in. The technology he had been developing became the world's first laser printer and brought the bitmapped graphics technology to life. As a product, it would prove to be so enormously profitable it would save Xerox. Yet even the most innovative cultures aren't fertile ground for every idea. Two researchers at PARC, Dick Shoup and Alvy Ray Smith, were working on a new graphics technology called SuperPaint. Unfortunately, it didn't fit in with PARC's vision of personal computing. Much like Starkweather, the two were seen as outcasts and would go elsewhere. Smith would eventually team up with another graphics pioneer, Ed Catmull, at the New York Institute of Technology. Later, they joined George Lucas, who saw the potential for computer graphics to create a new paradigm for special effects. Eventually, the operation was spun out and bought by Steve Jobs. That company, Pixar, was sold to Disney in 2006 for $7.4 billion. Great leaders build cultures that are fit for purpose. That means you have to make choices. Inevitably, that means that some things—and some people—won't fit. And some will.
