There is currently a demand for skilled laborers. According to the Iowa Workforce Development Department, the state’s economy needs more workers in manufacturing and transporting durable goods.
Examples include workers for building washers, tools and home furnishings, operating forklifts to warehouse these products and driving semis to deliver them. Workers for these jobs don’t need a college degree, but they do need knowledge and practice.
Fortunately, more high school graduates are reconsidering the conventional wisdom of attending college and are choosing instead to attend trade schools in order to prepare themselves for a particular skilled-labor field.
Iowa Job Corps offers free employment training for low-income persons ages 16 to 24. If you contact the Iowa Job Corps, a representative will quickly respond to answer questions about careers and how to get started. Job Corps offers free on-campus housing and meals at their centers in Ottumwa and Denison.
Steady work for a living wage is a component of public health. A workforce with a reliable source of income supports its community as customers of local businesses. Workers with living wages are more likely to have health insurance and therefore more likely to access preventive health care versus waiting until they have advanced health problems to visit a clinic or emergency room.
Job readiness is one of the many topics Dallas County Health Navigation can help with. Contact phn@dallascountyiowa.gov or 515-993-3750.
Ann Cochran is the health navigation coordinator in the Dallas County Public Heath Department.
