Viewing all News for: Pottawattamie County, Iowa

ACT empowers learners by removing barriers and creating pathways to success through programs like fee waivers, scholarships, and grants. In FY2025, we supported 477K students, 210K fee waivers, 27 scholarships, and 54 grants nationwide. Learn more in the 2025 Impact Report.

Site Selection Magazine's November edition includes a dozen location spotlights that include WorkKeys NCRC growth trends to demonstrate workforce quality. Features include Kansas, the Dakotas, Virginia, Nebraska, New York, Mississippi, Washington, and Wyoming.

The Green Hills Education Association in Iowa shared the success of WorkKeys for two students in the Council Bluffs school district. 

I have a Transition Alliance Program student who took the NCRC this semester and he earned a platinum.  Being in a therapeutic environment throughout high school, this young man has been setting his sights at entry level jobs with little opportunity for advancement such as a fast food worker or grocery store clerk.  The platinum score on the NCRC has motivated him to consider careers that require more skills as well as exploring post-secondary educational opportunities. The NCRC has been instrumental in showing him that he can perform academically at a significantly higher level than he has estimated. Because he doesn't have practice with rigorous coursework, he is concerned about taking 12-15 college credits, but trying one or two classes is a possibility.  He is participating in the Reverse Job Fair in May and is including the NCRC on his resume. 

I had a student who took the NCRC before she graduated. She earned a silver rating which qualifies her to be a paraprofessional with CBCSD.  Unfortunately, she moved to Kansas City, Kansas in January and we were exploring Kansas Community Colleges for her to earn an associate's degree to become a para.  However, I recently learned that Kansas recognizes the NCRC as an approved assessment for paraprofessionals and I am assisting her in getting her NCRC certificate number so that she can apply for paraprofessional positions in Kansas. 

Pottawattamie County officials are celebrating certification as Iowa's newest Work Ready Community.

“We now have a lot of resources available to us because we are certified through ACT,” said Alicia Frieze, Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce workforce development director at a celebration held Tuesday at Iowa Western Community College.

Pottawattamie County and the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce are working toward implementing a program designed to benefit local job-seekers and employers.  Through a news release, the Chamber announced the county’s goal of becoming an ACT Work Ready Community. This practice demonstrates commitment to developing a strong workforce pipeline desirable to employers, economic developers and current and future county residents, according to Alicia Frieze, the Chamber’s workforce development director.