Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance Nov Dec 2018

More documents

Recommendations

Info

ICR IOWA: KATE’S WEBSITE, OR HERE, IT’S REAL REGIONAL COLLABORATION FOR INFLUENCING STUDENTS SELECTING CRITICAL CAREER PATHWAYS AND GRADUATING WITH WORK-READY SKILLS REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT As the needs of the 21st century workforce change, it is increasingly important for business and education to work together to develop our future workforce. Last January, over 175 educators, employers, and organizations came together at the Kirkwood Regional Learning Center in Coralville to share ideas on how to meet that challenge. The national careerconnected learning models shared provided a roadmap to increase the number of students selecting high-demand career paths and graduating with the critical technical and soft skills needed by our employers. Following this session, approximately 60 partners began working together to determine areas where collaboration could influence more students selecting critical career pathways and graduating with work-ready skills. The new coalition, ICR Future, identified four areas of focus to pursue those goals: Computer Science, Work-Based Learning, Career Exploration, and 21st Century Skills/Problem Based Learning. Computer Science According to Code.org, Iowa currently has over 4,000 open computing jobs and only 364 computer science graduates in 2015, of which only 14% were female. The Computer Science working group, under the leadership of IT Sector Board cochairs Steven Davis of Bio::Neos and Todd Chamberlain of Medblox, is focused on increasing the number of middle and high school teachers who complete certifications in computer science, take a computer science class, and explore computer science through an in-school activity or program. Work-Based Learning Currently only 1 out of 5 juniors and seniors complete a workbased learning experience during high school. We can do more! Under the leadership of Laurie Worden of Workplace Learning Connection, ICR Future is looking to increase the 10 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 number of students who complete an internship or job shadow experience, the number of teachers who complete an externship, and the number of businesses who offer these experiences. Career Exploration All Iowa school districts are required to review their Career and Academic Plans over the next three years to increase careerconnected learning. Led by Paul Hayes, Cedar Rapids Schools and Erin Kurt, Junior Achievement, this group is building a career exploration framework, based on best practices, that every school district can leverage. Additionally, this group is working to help our ICR high schools transition to a career pathways program of studies. Problem-Based Learning and 21st Century Skills Problem-based learning and 21st century skills can set students in our region up for success. Under the leadership of Dawn Bowlus, University of Iowa Jacobson Institute, Jeremy Burrus, ACT, Leslie Flynn, University of Iowa Tippie School of Business and Amanda Zorhne, Iowa BIG, this group aims to increase the number of secondary educators who receive professional development through the University of Iowa STEM Innovator, helping them create a community-driven and unique model for innovation and entrepreneurship education within their classrooms. Additionally, there is a goal to increase the development and assessment of 21st century skills in middle school students through implementation of ACT’s Tessera curriculum. To share information about this coalition’s progress and help students, parents, educators, and employers find information on ICR career-connected learning resources, the new ICR Future website, www.ICRfuture.org, will launch this month. For more information on this effort, please contact Kate Moreland, Director of Career Development at kmoreland@icriowa.org.
PARK CEDAR RAPIDS LAUNCHING NEW MOBILE APP Park Cedar Rapids and Passport recently announced the launch of PassportParking®, a mobile app that allows users to pay for parking from their smartphones. Passport is the global leader in mobility technology solutions and serves nearly 600 clients worldwide and six cities throughout Iowa, including Iowa City, and is also used by the University of Iowa. Other Midwestern cities using the PassportParking app include Chicago, Omaha and St. Paul. The PassportParking app will replace the previous app provider, PayByPhone, beginning in early December. PassportParking can be used to pay for parking at more than 2,500 spaces throughout Downtown Cedar Rapids. Users download the app, create an account with their payment information and start a parking session by entering the zone number and license plate or space number. In addition to paying for parking, users are able to extend their sessions remotely, keep track of all parking history, receive notifications, and get email receipts. “Cedar Rapids is a forward-thinking city and has adopted innovative solutions to improve the lives of our residents,” said Jon Rouse, general manager of Park Cedar Rapids. “Passport provides a best-in-class solution to mobile payments, helping to make parking simpler and more efficient.” COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT “Passport is excited to partner with Cedar Rapids to launch PassportParking,” said Nathan Berry, Passport sales director. “Cedar Rapids has been focused on a smart cities initiative and we are proud to bring our state-of-the-art technology to the city.” Drivers can download the free PassportParking app from the App Store and Google Play. Users can also manage their parking online at park.passportparking.com. ECONOMIC ALLIANCE REPORT 11
Page 1 and 2: BUILDING TOWARD A BILLION FIRST WOR
Page 3 and 4: LOOKING OPTIMISTICALLY AT THE FUTUR
Page 5 and 6: FIRST WORKSHOP ON FLOOD CONTROL SYS
Page 7 and 8: Current Examples of Projects Commer
Page 9: LAUNCHING A REGIONAL LEGISLATIVE AG
Page 13 and 14: DOWNTOWN GETS Dressed Up FOR THE HO
Page 15 and 16: MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Appraisal Associat

Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance Nov Dec 2018

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?