CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Oct. 7, 2026)–Kirkwood Community College works closely with employers across Eastern Iowa to understand their workforce needs and prepare students with the skills and hands-on experience needed to succeed on the job. As businesses work to fill critical positions, adapt to changing technology and continue growing, those partnerships help build a strong pipeline of well-prepared workers for the region.
Those partnerships take many forms. Kirkwood works with companies such as ESCO Group and Red Star Yeast, along with businesses and organizations throughout its seven-county service area, to provide customized training, workforce development programs, apprenticeships and other opportunities designed around real-world needs.
For ESCO Group, Iowa’s 260E Industrial New Jobs Training Program has helped the company prepare new employees while supporting continued workforce growth.
“In my role with the Employee Experience team, I see firsthand how critical structured training is for engagement and long-term success,” said ESCO Group Director of Employee Experience Megan Parsons. “The 260E program does more than fund training–it fosters a culture of learning and development that benefits both employees and employers. It helps Iowa companies remain competitive by building a skilled workforce, and it strengthens our ability to attract talent in a tight labor market.”
Kirkwood’s relationship with Red Star Yeast also demonstrates how employers can help build the workforce pipeline. The company has supported students in Kirkwood’s Industrial Maintenance Technology program, which combines industry-guided curriculum with practical, hands-on laboratory experience.
These relationships help Kirkwood understand what employers need from future workers and reinforce the importance of giving students opportunities to learn with equipment and technology that reflect today’s workplaces.
Kirkwood’s proposed $88 million bond would support that work by improving instructional spaces, laboratories, technology and facilities for high-demand programs in healthcare, advanced manufacturing and skilled trades, agriculture, business and information technology.
Students from across Kirkwood’s seven-county service area attend the college to develop career-ready skills, and many return to their communities to live and work. Modern classrooms, labs and technology help ensure those students are prepared for the careers waiting for them.
The proposed projects are about more than buildings. They are an investment in people and in the skilled workforce that employers and communities across Eastern Iowa will depend on for years to come.
For more information about Kirkwood’s Nov.3 bond measure, go to www.kirkwood.edu/bond2026.