The state of Iowa will need to do more to close the skills gap, according to recommendations released by the newly formed group Iowa Skill2Compete Coalition.

The report states that middle-skill jobs – those that require more than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year degree – account for 56 percent of jobs in Iowa’s labor market. But only 33 percent of working Iowans have the skills and credentials for these jobs.

The coalition recommends that the state appropriate $5 million in revenue for adult basic learning education and integrated learning programs, invest another $2 million to ensure that adult learners enrolled in career pathway programs complete the programs, and create a capacity within existing postsecondary education and job training funding to develop regional industry sector partnerships around the state.

Iowa Skills2Compete is a statewide partnership made up of the United Way of Central Iowa, Central Iowa Works, the Iowa Association of Business and Industry and the Iowa Association of Community College Presidents, among others.

To see the report, click here. To read a related story in the Business Record, click here.