In Tuesday’s Condition of the State address, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced a new grant opportunity to grow Iowa’s health care workforce. The Iowa Healthcare Credentialing Grant is open to eligible health care employers and began accepting applications on iowagrants.gov on Wednesday. The program will provide $3 million in funding to help fill high-demand occupations in health care. Awardees must be work-based learning programs with an earn-and-learn component, which can include registered apprenticeship, on-the-job training programs, or related programs that upskill or re-skill workers. Eligible employers can use the new opportunity to expand existing models or implement newly designed earn-and-learn programs in designated high-demand occupations such as a registered nurse, direct support professional, laboratory assistant or technician, dental assistant or hygienist and paramedic. “Health care jobs have never been more important to our workforce than they are today, but that doesn’t mean that it should be difficult to start a career in its many important occupations,” Beth Townsend, executive director of Iowa Workforce Development, said in a prepared statement. “This grant is laser focused on innovative earn-and-learn models that accelerate the pathway to a health care career in the areas that need them most.” The deadline to apply is 2 p.m. Feb. 19.