Project Employment

What is Project Employment?

Project Employment is a project of CIETC (Central Iowa Employment & Training Consortium) that has been made possible with a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor secured by Senator Tom Harkin. Project Employment brings greater focus to serving people with disabilities including individuals with physical (motion, hearing, vision) and mental (learning or development) impairments, mental illness and adults with less than a high school education who are seeking employment and job advancement.

Adults who are seeking a job, meet the eligibility requirements and are accepted into the program, may receive services including: help with their job search; assessment of skills needs and interests; basic job skills training; job coaching to help adjust to the work environment; access to the state-of-the-art Senator Tom Harkin Learning Center; customized planning, training and skill-building that serves the individual's needs and helps them find and retain employment.

Employers with Project Employment may receive services including: training/technical assistance from Project Employment staff experienced on reasonable accommodations under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), assistive technology and employing individuals with disabilities; responsiveness on the part of the Project Employment staff serving as a resource and problem solver; identifying workforce needs of employers; appropriate job applicant referrals who can perform the essential functions of the job opening; job applicants who have received soft skill training; and frequent and regular personal follow-up support services from Project Employment staff to reduce their sense of risk

What are the funding sources for Project Employment?

Funding for the project has been made possible with a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor secured by Senator Tom Harkin. Additional financial support has been received from the City of Des Moines, Combined System Technology, Inc. Prairie Meadows Race Track and Casino, the South Central Federation of Labor AFL-CIO and Strategic America. This funding has made possible the purchasing of equipment and materials for the Senator Harkin Learning Center and the hiring of seven staff, (staff link)

What is the service delivery area?

Project Employment serves the counties of Boone, Dallas, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Polk, Story and Warren

Click HERE to find out who is eligible for Project Employment Assistance.