I-JAG takes on Iowa's looming worker shortage

I-JAG takes on Iowa's looming worker shortage BY NICK REDDIN Part of my work at Manpower is to help support the efforts of teachers, nonprofits and government agencies in reaching today's youths with relevant information to help them start to understand what they are going to face in the world of work.

As a country and a state we spend a lot of money on educational projects, and in Iowa it seems to be paying off. We have an excellent graduation rate at 90.7 percent, with 40 percent planning to attend a four-year college and 39 percent planning to attend a two-year college. And recently I was introduced to a group that is helping at-risk students not only graduate but go above and beyond what they thought they could achieve in life.

This group is called I-JAG, which stands for Iowa Jobs for America's Graduates. The work it is doing is critical to the future success of a lot of businesses' hiring efforts. With the increasing shortage of workers, Iowa is going to need every worker available in order to fill job openings. The job-readiness training and teaching that I-JAG provides to these students is essential. The graduation rate of students going through the program for 2006 is 92 percent, with 73 percent experiencing a positive outcome for future employment.

Those are some of the most impressive numbers that I have ever seen for this type of program. That's not to mention that in some cases this program helps break the cycle of poverty and lack of education that would otherwise be unaddressed.

By 2010, America will be facing a shortfall of 10 million workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So I am thrilled that Iowa has this excellent program in place. The world of work is global; we are competing not only with other states, but with other countries. Yes, even here in Des Moines.

As a country we are not giving our students what's needed to be successful in tomorrow's jobs. As a comparison, China is outproducing us 9-1 in Ph.D.s. They have more students in honors classes than we have in school, period. American teenagers rank at the bottom of the industrialized world in math problem-solving, and their science skills are roughly comparable to those of students in Iceland and Austria.

When it comes to innovation, math and science are the keys to success. Economist Eric Hanushek of Stanford University estimates that if we were able to close the gap between us and other countries, American economic growth would increase by a half percentage point every year, or about a 20 percent increase in the economy's long-term potential. It is important for Iowa to maintain a tight focus on every student. The state's future employment needs demand it.

I encourage you and your company to reach out to the local schools and the local programs here in Des Moines. The more people and companies we have involved in preparing our students for the future, the better these students and our state will fare in being able to fill future job openings. We are only truly successful as a state and a people if we have dutifully prepared those coming behind us to take the reins and lead. r

Nick Reddin is the business development manager at Manpower Inc.'s Des Moines office.

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