Mission: Employable

Mission: Employable returns in a new deep-dive format to tackle the challenges and solutions that are emerging in Iowa's healthcare workforce. Podcast host Ben Oldach examines the state of Iowa's health care industry, its workforce challenges, the solutions being developed, and one employer who is putting a solution into practice with great results. Listen in as a lineup of industry experts join B...

Employers around the metro are finding out that high school students can be capable members of their cyber security divisions. Des Moines Public Schools instructor Michael Tierney stops by the podcast to tell us how his cyber security class is working hand in hand with employers to prepare students for summer internships.  Tierney is joined by his student Lincoln Kessel who talks about his experie...

Anthony Hartman spent almost three decades in the military with the latter half of his career as an Army recruiter. In this episode, Hartman shares recruiting tips that you can use to have more luck finding and hiring talent  similar to what he used recruiting for the United States Army.  

Four businesses in Iowa are being recognized for going above and beyond in their efforts to hire Iowans with disabilities.  Tyler Hansen , Business Engagement Resource Manager for Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services (IVRS) joins the show to not only highlight these four companies but also talk about how IVRS is working to employ more Iowans with disabilities in 2026.  Find out what made these...

Molly Gil and Tracy May are both mom's on a mission. The two are managers at John Deere Financial and know firsthand how challenging it can be for Iowans with disabilities to find rewarding employment.   Both are mothers to children with disabilities, and the two have made it their mission to make their company a place where people like their own kids can find a career. Learn how the two connected...

Iowans who own their own businesses are vital to the workforce. But, for those interested in entrepreneurship, the path ahead might be overwhelming. For Iowans looking to own their own business, many wonder: where do you start? One place might be Entrepreneurship Professor Malinda Shultice's classroom at Iowa State University. Mission: Employable podcast hosts Ben Oldach and Kathy Leggett as they...

The Mission: Employable podcast is dedicated to telling the stories of all Iowan s in the workforce . These stories often include shar ing real world experiences of Iowans with disabilities as they overcome workforce barriers and find mean ingful e mployme nt. In this episode, the Mission: Employable team sits down with the Iowa State Tre asurer's Offic e to highlight Iowa's Achieving a Better Lif...

IowaWORKS has offices all across the state, but sometimes it's easier for workforce services to come to you; enter the IowaWORKS Mobile Workforce Center.  This one-stop shop on wheels travels across Iowa making it easy for job seekers to learn about unemployment benefits, openings, and how to navigate through Iowa's largest online job bank. Hear from Driver and Career Planner Edgar Ramirez about w...

Rural hospitals are innovating to find their future workforce.  For Crawford County Memorial Hospital, that means hosting a summer camp for kids in their area who think they may be interested in a career in healthcare!  Dana Neemann, Director of Education and Patient Experience returns alongside hosts Ben Oldach and Kathy Leggett to show how the hospital created a program that has already turned y...

How do rural hospitals find the staffing in today's day and age? That's the question hosts Ben Oldach and Kathy Leggett are looking to answer i n part one of a two-episode series at the Crawford County Memorial Hospital in Denison, Iowa .   Joining them are Dana Neemann , Director of Education and Patient Experience, and Macy Webb, Director of Human Resources to talk about their internship program...

Iowa has always been a major supporter of Registered Apprenticeships, but that commitment grew even further when the state took over  apprenticeship oversight from the U.S. Department of Labor in June of 2024 .   Iowa Office of Apprenticeship Program Director Dane Sulentic joins the podcast to talk about what the IOA has accomplished in the last year, lessons learned, and what Iowan's can expect f...

  This episode of the Mission: Employable podcast dives into an Earn and Learn program that's saving one Iowa organization money while reinvesting in its workforce , Goldfinch Laboratory plays an important role in Iowa's medical industry, testing samples and biopsies sent over by other healthcare providers . However, the lab felt they were spending too much money on temporary hires . The solution?...

Mission: Employable is back in Le Mars to find out more about how the Le Mars Fire Department is using work-based learning to get students interested in becoming EMTs. Le Mars Battalion Chief John MacGregor joins the show and shares an emotional story about why he cares so much for teaching the next generation, including his son, who also joins the podcast.   

Join h osts of the Mission: Employable podcast Ben Oldach and Kathy Legget t as they take a trip to Le Mars , IA . On their visit, they met with the local fire department to find out more about a W ork-based L earning program that skills up high schoolers and gets them real world experience in the world of Emergency Medical Technicians ( EMT ) .   Dr. Mark Iverson, Principal of Le Mars Community H...

The Mission: Employable podcast heads to Sioux Center, Iowa, to speak with Kent Heronimus , Technical Training Manager at Interstates. This episode is dedicated to telling the story of how they've grown from one to several Registered Apprenticeship programs. Find out how the company has navigated building programs across several industries and how they're working to retain their apprentices when h...

Hosts Ben Oldach and Kathy Leggett are still on the road in Sioux City as they continue to tell stories throughout Iowa. This episode is dedicated to a summer camp for 15 - to - 18 - year-olds who are ready to rock a future career in the trades. Jennifer Stanwick-Klimek, Manager of Learning and Development at Thompson Solutions, returns to the show to talk about the Heavy Metal Summer Experience....

This week, the h osts of the Mission: Employable podcast hit the road for more conversations about Iowa's workforce! Ben Oldach and Kathy Leggett head out for a multi part series highlighting different employers and programs in Sioux City , IA ! The first episode features Jennifer Stanwick-Klimek, Manager of Learning and Development at Thompson Solutions. With more openings than employees to fill...

Ben is here with a quick update about some changes to the podcast schedule in March and April. 

The Harkin Institute, a non-partisan think tank established at Drake University, is a leader in developing disability workforce policy .   Daniel Van Sant, Director of Disability Policy, joins the podcast to talk about an international summit the institute held in Washington D.C. and how some of the topics of discussion coming from that summit can help Iowa businesses lead the way on hiring Iowans...

Des Moines' Ironworkers Union is hard at work across the metro building the structures that will eventually turn into the buildings where we live, work, and hang out.  However, they're also using an apprenticeship program to build lifelong careers from the ground up.   Ironworkers local 67 Apprenticeship and Training Coordinator Ed Bleimehl drops by the podcast to talk about how his apprentices de...

The YSS Rooftop Gardens program is producing thousands of heads of lettuce, but its' more important export is the employability skills young adults need to change their lives.  Started in 2024, the garden employs several groups of at-risk youth to grow hydroponic romaine lettuce which is then sold at farmers markets and select Hy-Vee stores. Hear from program founder Samanthya Marlatt as she discc...

 A New h ealthcare g rant designed to help e mployers develop or expand their earn and learn programs is open for applications!  Kathy Leggett , title, sits acro ss the table with Mission: Employable podcast host, Ben Oldach , to discuss the ins and outs of the grant . W ho can apply? How much money is available? And how can earn and learn programs help employers grow their staff for years to come...

Mission Employable celebrates its 200 th episode with a brand-new face! Newly hired Iowa Workforce Development Deputy Director  Georgia Van Gundy joins the pod to introduce herself to the state and discuss what her past experiences will bring to the department.  Find out why the former Executive Director of the Iowa Business Council tells us the unemployment rate isn't the only number we should be...

Learning English can be a challenge , but learning career specific terminology and slang can be even more challenging .   Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) is here to help solve s ome of those problems with its Jumpstart program . Michelle Schott, Integrated Education and Training Coordinator at DMACC, joins the Mission: Employable podcast and shares about the program that is helping Eng l...

Iowa Workforce Development has been a champion for Registered Apprenticeship Programs for years now, but now IWD will be even more involved in how these programs operate across the state.  Kolby Knupp, Program Manager at the Iowa Office of Apprenticeship joins the podcast to talk about how the state is taking over Registered Apprenticeships from the Federal Department of Labor, and what that means...