Et cetera : Kirkwood Community College and IowaWORKS to open joint location

Kirkwood Community College and IowaWORKS will open a joint location this Friday, Aug. 1, located at 1025 Kirkwood Parkway SW in Cedar Rapids, on the college's main campus. The new partnership, previously announced in April, will strengthen collaboration across teams that collectively serve employers, deliver professional education, and support both current workers and future job seekers.

The former Ruffalo Noel Levitz building, now known as East Hall, will serve as the central hub for Kirkwood's Adult Basic Education, Continuing Education, and workforce development programs. A key feature of this expansion is the collocation with IowaWORKS, part of the statewide American Job Center (AJC) network. This alignment brings career counseling, job search assistance, employer connections and training programs into one location-creating a one-stop destination for education and employment services for students and adults.

The partnership also offers a unique opportunity to bring together all four core programs funded under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) for the first time. This includes:

• Title I: Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth services
• Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy, including High School Completion and English as a Second Language
• Title III: Wagner-Peyser Employment Services
• Title IV: Vocational Rehabilitation

Titles I, III, and IV have operated out of the IowaWORKS office at Lindale Mall. That location will cease operations tomorrow (July 31), and all services will move to the new building on Kirkwood's main campus. Moving these programs into a shared space with Title II offerings and Kirkwood's education services represents a major step toward seamless service delivery and program alignment.

Last year, Kirkwood's Continuing Education division served nearly 30,000 learners-ranging from school-aged children in KICK programs to adults pursuing leisure learning, workforce certifications, and advanced credentials. The division also partners with local employers to deliver custom training and supports state-mandated programs and registered apprenticeships. In addition, it works closely with Kirkwood's credit programs to build clear, flexible pathways for students looking to start or continue their academic and career journeys. From Jan. 1, 2024, to Jan. 1, 2025, AJC team members in Cedar Rapids provided services to over 33,120 customers.