Supporting Manufacturing & Advanced Automation Careers in Iowa

Launching the SMART Iowa Project

In October 2023, CSW and our partner Hawkeye Community College launched the Scaling Manufacturing and Renewables Training in Iowa (SMART Iowa) project, a five-year initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. As Northeast Iowa’s manufacturing industry transitions towards sustainable transportation, there is a greater need for workers skilled in electric vehicles technologies, battery manufacturing, and advanced automation across the IT, manufacturing, and construction sectors. These roles, including assemblers and fabricators, machinists, electrical and electronic engineering technicians, electricians, and carpenters, often come with higher wages and job prospects. However, equitable access remains a challenge. Few clean energy workers in Iowa are women or people of color, reinforcing income inequality and limiting social mobility.  

SMART Iowa will scale Hawkeye’s existing programming and introduce new occupations to better serve the region’s evolving clean energy manufacturing sector. CSW provides support by collecting labor market information, developing occupational profiles, and coordinating the project. This builds on recent career pathway and occupational profiling work CSW has done with Michigan State University, the state of Alabama, and Southwestern Oregon Community College. Our partnership also involves collaboration with industry leaders such as Mid-American, John Deere, and Cedar Falls Utilities, who offer industry expertise, apprenticeship opportunities, and ongoing support in employer engagement.

Understanding Northeastern Iowa 

Over the first year, CSW has worked closely with Hawkeye to understand the unique needs of Northeast Iowa. In May 2024, CSW project staff traveled to Waterloo to visit the community first-hand. Staff toured Hawkeye’s automation center, met with students and instructors, and connected with key employers, including John Deere, Van Meter, Cedar Falls Utilities, and Mid-American, providing important context to our research with the Hawkeye community.  

Staff were informed of the long history of the manufacturing industry, anchored by John Deere, in the Waterloo region. The tour included how the company has increasingly automated its operations. The factory floor is now filled with advanced robotics producing increasingly complex farm machinery, requiring more specialized workers.

As the manufacturing industry in Waterloo evolves to keep pace with technological advancements, there is an increasing demand for a workforce skilled in operating and maintaining new automation systems. Recognizing this need, Hawkeye Community College has prioritized training to ensure the region remains competitive in the era of smart manufacturing. Hawkeye’s Automation and Robotics Center was created to provide competency-based workforce training supporting the next generation of industrial manufacturing. The availability of skilled workers, able to support technologies used in smart manufacturing will be a key to the future success of the regional manufacturing base.

Labor Market Analysis & Occupational Profiles 

CSW’s Research & Evaluation team has conducted extensive labor market information (LMI) analysis, focusing on advanced manufacturing occupations within the region. The team examined factors including employment, demand, projected growth, wages, credential requirements, alignment to living wages, and other LMI and job quality indicators. This data will allow Hawkeye Community College to better understand regional employers’ hiring needs and inform their programming choices. 

Additionally, CSW’s Competencies & Credentials team has begun developing occupational profiles; detailed summaries of specific jobs or occupations that provide insights into the roles, responsibilities, skills, and qualifications required for a given position. The team used publicly available national and local data through Lightcast to understand the competencies within a given occupation and which occupations share common competencies. 

Hawkeye Community College has created a set of certificate programs that align with the skills needed to support area industry. Creating standard terminology when referring to skill profiles within job classifications will help industry, students, and Hawkeye to better identify the desired training needs and now and into the future.

As the SMART Iowa project enters its second year of work, CSW will continue to develop occupational profiles, validating this data with employers, and constructing career pathways that will show how occupations can fit together. This collaborative process will ensure that all work reflects the unique needs of advanced manufacturing and the green economy in Northeastern Iowa.