Amie here. It’s a tough job market for recent college graduates right now. But at least two colleges in Iowa are trying to help bridge the workforce gap.

“It is a highly competitive world right now for graduates,” said Rick Sanders, president of the Iowa State University Research Park in Ames.

“We just hired for an entry-level position here at the Research Park, and three or four years ago, if we had posted that position, we’d have been lucky to get several to a handful of applications. And we had somewhere between 30 and 40 applications for the position—to hire one person.”

Sanders told me he wants to make that better for students at a time when it’s getting harder for young workers to land full-time jobs after graduation. And he thinks the Research Park, which connects Iowa State students with local companies, can help.

It’s this week’s top story.

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Are you a recent college grad struggling to find relevant work? Reply and tell me your experience.

Amie Rivers

Newsletter Editor, Iowa Starting Line

Member, COURIER United (WGA East)

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More health care layoffs: UnityPoint announced Wednesday it would lay off 207 information technology workers in West Des Moines, saying it was outsourcing that work to save money.
Tax day for thee, not for me: “Trump Republicans are defunding the tax police, making America great for rich tax cheats.”
A third of Central Iowans can’t afford the basics anymore, according to the latest United Way report, which also showed 43% of them spending more than 30% of their income on housing.
Iowa childcare workers get help paying for childcare: An estimated 1,700 Iowa children whose parent works at least 32 hours a week in childcare will qualify for financial assistance for childcare starting in July under a bill signed last week by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
This guy really just set his warehouse on fire.
What is Iowa’s Second Injury Fund, and how does it help veterans keep Iowa jobs? Learn more here, as Iowa legislators are considering cutting it.
Union endorsements: The Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO on Monday endorsed State Rep. Lindsay James for US House District 2. “Lindsay James is the best candidate for working men and women, as well as their families,” said Iowa Fed president Charlie Wishman.
“For the first time since Gallup began tracking the life evaluation of the US workforce, more workers report struggling in their lives (49%) than thriving (46%).”
Farmers win on right-to-repair: John Deere agreed to pay $99 million to settle a right-to-repair class action lawsuit, as well as providing tools allowing their equipment to be repaired and maintained for the next decade.
DEI gets you PAID: Closing racial and gender gaps in workforce participation and wages could add $12 trillion to the global economy, according to McKinsey and Company.
Nuclear plants are coming back, but rules protecting workers from radiation may not!
First unionized Apple store closed by company: The IAM calls the closure of the Maryland store union-busting.
Fuel costs up, food is too: The war in Iran is going so great for our grocery costs.
Let’s circle back: Don’t ask for time on my calendar to iterate on how I’m laddering up to my goals—especially after a new study showed that using corporate speak is linked with poor decision making.

All information taken from Iowa Workforce Development’s WARN Act website. Read WARN Act and Iowa WARN Act criteria here.

CNH Industrial in Burlington is closing and laying off:
four workers by Friday,
four workers by Apr. 24,
18 workers by Apr. 30,
27 workers by May 1,
one worker by May 22,
seven workers by May 29,
15 workers by June 26,
13 workers by Sept. 25, and
five workers by Dec. 31. Read more here.
Wells Fargo in West Des Moines is laying off:
two workers by Saturday,
seven workers by May 2,
62 workers by May 30, and
25 workers by June 15. Read more here.