A Des Moines-based nonprofit is working to keep Iowa’s youth workforce in-state through a combination of year-round career programming and employer partnerships — including an annual conference that drew hundreds of high school students last week.
Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates, known as iJAG, held its annual Career Development Conference Thursday in Des Moines, bringing together nearly 40 employer partners and more than 400 students from 67 iJAG programs across grades 11 and 12. The event, presented by The Wellmark Foundation, featured employer-led skills workshops, a career fair and 10 student competitions with 75 industry volunteers. Participating employers included Athene, Hy-Vee, John Deere, Principal Financial Group, Regions Bank, MidAmerican Energy, Collins Aerospace, Iowa Skilled Trades, UnityPoint and Profit Quiver.
The conference is one piece of a broader strategy aimed at addressing what the Iowa Business Council identified as a top priority in its 2026 Competitive Dashboard: workforce constraints. The report noted that increasing Iowa’s labor force participation rate from its current 67.7% to just 68% could enhance the state economy and help sustain future growth. Retaining Iowa’s population by building pipelines into industries such as technology, manufacturing and skilled trades is among the key strategies outlined.
Work-based learning is another focus area. During the 2024-2025 academic year, 36,075 Iowa students participated in at least one work-based learning experience — an increase of more than 11,000 from the prior year. That same year, the legislature implemented enhanced mandates around authentic work-based learning. iJAG reported a 66% work-based learning participation rate in its first year under the new legislation, across its 205 statewide programs serving students in grades 7 through 12.
“Thanks to events like CDC and year-round engagement from employers, we’re able to create an impact that spans beyond our students and school districts,” said Wendy Mihm-Herold, president and chief executive officer for iJAG. “By helping young people discover, plan and prepare for a career, we in turn are able to deliver future-ready workers that help our workplaces thrive; create civic-minded leaders that uplift our communities; and drive growth into critical industries that revitalizes our local economies.”
Jennifer Downe, a workforce development partner for MercyOne, spoke to the value of the conference model from an employer’s perspective.
“We love to partner with iJAG because they’re a one-stop-shop for career development,” Ms. Downe said. “We’re able to meet with students from all over the state who are prepared, come with questions and their resumes. We love being with students in one location.”
iJAG is a state-supported nonprofit within the Iowa Department of Education, established in 1999 to connect education to the workplace. The organization reports a 98% graduation rate among its students — 7 percentage points higher than non-iJAG students. More than 50,000 Iowans have participated in iJAG programs since its founding.
