Nikki Fischer: You don’t have to completely rewrite something. You can just partner up, and then just find partners. Who else has the same goals as you? It could be the employers. It could be the schools. You could have a whole collaboration. That’s my favorite thing of my job is, I get talk to all kinds of people. I could be talking to an employer one day and a high school student the next, but getting out there so that you know what’s going on in your community helps you think outside of the box.

Amanda Ellis: That’s the voice of Nikki Fischer, Director of Workforce Development and Diversity at the Ames Chamber in Ames, Iowa. Nikki joins us today for part two of our two-part series on upskilling, with a case study on two talent development programs in Ames, one designed to retain interns in their community and the other to upskill locals in a variety of in-demand fields. You won’t want to miss Nikki’s insights on talent development programs that work. I’m Amanda Ellis, and you’re listening to Inside America’s Best Cities, a podcast for chamber, economic development and talent attraction professionals. To learn more about this podcast, visit livabilitymedia.com. And with that, let’s jump in. Nikki, thanks for taking some time out of your day to chat with us on Inside America’s Best Cities. We’re so happy to have you here.

Nikki Fischer: Yes, thanks so much for having me.

Amanda Ellis: The Chamber in Ames is doing so much for a chamber of its size, particularly in the realm of workforce development, which I’m super excited to hear more from you about today. In particular, I’d like to chat about two of the programs that you run. The first of which is the See Yourself in Ames Intern Program. Can you tell us a little bit about that and how it works?

Nikki Fischer: Yeah, definitely. Like you said, we do have a lot of different workforce solution programming, and See Yourself in Ames is one of those. It is actually geared for our interns. This is a program that we run mainly in the summertime with the college students getting out in May after finals. It’ll usually start in about May, and we do three to four different events for the interns. We work with our businesses that have these interns getting all these experience and knowledge from them to help promote the program as well. These programs that we hold or events that we hold are all kinds of different things. We’ll sometimes hear from the Iowa State University Athletic Department. Sometimes we’ll go to some of our businesses and have them talk about what’s going on in their field. We’ve gone to Danfoss, which is a huge manufacturer that is not just Ames centric, but also global. It’s always nice to see that. Then they get a tour as well, things like that. And then we also do things like in the park where there’s some live music and maybe there’s some mocktails, because there is that age difference, so you don’t always want to just have cocktails.

Amanda Ellis: Yeah, we forget that once we’ve been past the age of 21 for a little while.

Nikki Fischer: Right. Some of your interns really are still young and under that 21 years of age. But we just do all kinds of things and we’re always thinking of different ways of how do we show these students who are going to school here and they’re learning from our businesses, how amazing it would be to stay in the area, continue working and living here. That’s the goal, to just show them that you’ve seen your university and you’ve seen what your professors can help you with, but let’s show you all of the other fun, great things that you get to do once you get past that graduation piece.

Amanda Ellis: Yeah, I love that, and I think it’s something more communities could really look at doing something with the interns that are there. That’s such a key transition point, starting your professional career and where you decide to start it and where you build your network, so capturing folks at that point. I just think it is amazing that you all have been so intentional about that. You’ve been doing this program for a while, right?

Nikki Fischer: Oh, I want to say we started back in 2013. I mean, we’re going on year 10 this year. Super exciting.

Amanda Ellis: Yeah, it’s a super smart strategy. What kind of participation and results have you all seen from this in over 10 years of doing it?

Nikki Fischer: Yes. Every event is different. You always get a wide range of participation. But on average we have about 100 interns at every event. Some of the fun ones and usually no surprise when we kind of get the Iowa State University Athletics involved no matter and what spectrum that is. Times where there’s a ton of participation just because that’s a big draw. And also different times of days. We’ve had to really learn what days work for these interns, because they’ve got a lot going on throughout the summer, what times work on those days, and just finding that happy medium so that they’re able to attend and actually enjoy it.

Amanda Ellis: The other program we want to hear about today is the Story County Retraining Program. Can you tell us a bit of an overview about that?

Nikki Fischer: Yes. High level, because there is a lot to that program, that is geared more towards our 18 plus. This is a program for those who maybe want to get into the workforce quicker or who have been in the workforce and maybe are underemployed. They want to have those extra skills. We did receive some ARPA funding from our Story County Board of Supervisors, and then we partnered with DMACC, which is our Des Moines Area Community College here. They have classes that span from a five-week class to 15 weeks, but it’s still those shorter class periods or timeframes I should say. You get a certificate when you’re done. This can range from anything welding to CNA to phlebotomy, but these certificate courses then can be used because you get so much skill with that, can be used to make a career. It’s not just a job, you’re now moving into a career. They can always move on and do more education, but this at least gets them started. It’s really for those people who are unemployed or underemployed that are looking for those career opportunities.

Amanda Ellis: You cover several specific career fields within that, correct?

Nikki Fischer: Yes. There’s several different certificate courses that are specific. There’s two-year degrees and four year degrees. There’s a lot of time that has to be spent on some things, but these certificate courses are things that you can give those skill sets to people in a quicker timeframe. On the medical side, we’ve got a lot of CNAs, and that’s basic and advanced. We’ve got phlebotomy. We’ve got healthcare patient service, which is that front desk person who’s running the insurance, who knows all of the medical coding. I mean, that’s a lot of things. They have to actually take a typing test before you even get into the class. That’s a skillset that you bring into the class that makes you successful. And then we’ve got things that are CDL drivers. Everybody needs those.

Amanda Ellis: How are those selected? Are they based on needs just in your region that you foresee or general projections about career needs?

Nikki Fischer: When we first started this program, this was something that stemmed from the COVID-19. We just saw that there was a lot of people that were leaving the workforce or after that initial time that we were all away from work, maybe some people lost some jobs, that in order to get back into the jobs, they needed skills. DMACC has these courses already done. They are already set up. They have criteria. They have curriculum. They have the instructors there. We just used one of their programs, which is Workforce Training Academy. We took that program that they are already excelling at honestly and just partnered with them to provide it to the citizens of Story County. A lot of the regulations or requirements, I guess, to get into it we do base off of DMACC’s requirements. You have to be 18 or older, already have that high school diploma or the GED or, I guess, now it’s called the HiSET is what the GED now is. And then just being a Story County resident only because these funds are from the Story County Board of Supervisors. We wanted to keep those funds here since that’s where they’re coming from. And then also with the courses that DMACC already has, then we also got with the businesses in town and talked to them about what are you needing as far as workforce, because we don’t want to do a course if you already have those positions filled. The ones that I think everybody knows is, I mean, the medical field. We know that there’s constantly job openings for those. A lot of businesses, honestly, once you get your CNA and you start working for them, they’ll help pay for you to maybe get your RN or your LPN. The businesses have a need and we’ve heard their need and here’s a way for us to help get some of that workforce in there for them.

Amanda Ellis: How quickly are participants typically completing these programs? What’s the range?

Nikki Fischer: We have classes anywhere from five weeks to 15 weeks and the classes differ. Your CNA, your basic, is five weeks. But then if they want to move on to advanced, it’s another five weeks. But they can still take a job after completing that first five weeks, because you have your basic CNA certificate and they take the test through the State of Iowa. They can start working as a CNA, and then also maybe keep going to class at night to get that advanced. But you’re welding, you are going to be in class for probably a good 14, 15 weeks.

Amanda Ellis: It’s probably a good idea.

Nikki Fischer: Yes, yes. There’s a lot that goes into that, but the welders start in the classroom. They start with their OSHA 10. They start talking about measurements and all of those book things, I guess. Just the safety of the job. And then they actually get into a welding lab at the last half and start learning all of the welding piece of it. That one is a little bit longer, but it’s a great opportunity for someone to have a career. The other thing that is great about all of these different certificates is when you take the jobs, you’ll start obviously as an entry level employee with your new certificate, but you can make great money in these careers. That’s a great asset to the whole community, not just that individual.

Amanda Ellis: I think that you mentioned you have partnered with some specific employers for different parts of this. Can you talk a little bit about what that may have looked like?

Nikki Fischer: Yes, definitely. We have several different employers that when we first started this, we ask them what are their needs. Those employers, once we have those graduates, we don’t just say, “Okay, we helped you get your certificate. You go find a job.” We actually do a meet and greet. We reach out to these employers that have told us, “We need employees and these are the kinds of skilled employees that we need.” Then we reach back out when they are done with their certificate and say, “Okay, we have now the skilled workers that you need. Let’s do a meet and greet.” I always tell people it’s a lot like speed dating, I guess. If we’ve got seven graduates, we try to get at least five different employers to come in so that they get a talk to each and every one of those employers. Find out maybe what are the different hour schedules, what are the benefits, but they just have quick conversations. And then after that, they can always go apply at that company. But this gives them just a chance to get in front of them and have some conversations so that they can see what’s out there now that they have this great opportunity.

Amanda Ellis: Got you. Not necessarily a completely direct funnel from the program into a job, but almost a guarantee that you’re pretty much going to walk into a new career after you complete this.

Nikki Fischer: Right, exactly, because the people that come to these meet and greets from the companies are the HR, either the HR managers, the HR specialists. These are the people that are going to interview you and who’ve told you already that this is what they need.

Amanda Ellis: Right.

Nikki Fischer: Yeah, exactly. We also have the class right before work on their resumes too. They come with fresh resumes, a brand new certificate, and then they get to sit in front of an employer and really have great conversations, and then they get to choose. Honestly, it’s the students who get to choose, where do I want to go? Because they now have several different options.

Amanda Ellis: Gosh, isn’t that the best place to be? You want to be interviewing the employer just as much as they’re interviewing you. I gathered from what you were saying that the program’s definitely built as something you could do around a day job or another job it sounds like with either evening and online components and that sort of thing, depending on which track.

Nikki Fischer: We do have a few classes that are maybe the 8:00 to 2:30, so maybe those people who are unemployed who are looking to get a skillset to get a job. But for those that are underemployed, you can keep working and then you go to class from 5:00 to 8:00 in the evening. It’s two nights a week that most of these classes are held. There’s also one that is new, but they’re actually doing it via Zoom. They don’t even have to leave the house. Now, they do have to be in a separate room. If you have younger children, you’d still probably have to have a little bit of childcare. But if you have those teenage kids or kids that can take care of themselves for a few hours while you’re in your Zoom call, you don’t even have to leave your house in order to get these certificates.

Amanda Ellis: Yeah, that’s awesome, and that’s actually a great lead in to my next question. One of the things I really love about this is the wraparound support that this program provides. I feel like you all have been very intentional about how to address any barrier someone could have to participating in this. Tell us more.

Nikki Fischer: Yeah, definitely. There’s an application process that we start with first, and a lot of times DMACC can help with paying for the class and the supplies and the books and that portion. If for some reason they are not able to do that, and we’ve had a few situations and they’re all definitely different random reasons, then we actually have funding for scholarships. We will still help pay for the class, the supplies, the books, whatever you’re needing in order to get started with that class. No matter what, this class is free for those living in Story County. Once you get into the class, there’s other barriers. Transportation support is one. Mainly what that looks like is a gas card. Every week an individual will come into the chamber, sign their sheet that they received their gas card, and then they will be able to use that. There have been a few instances where people, they don’t have a vehicle or maybe they only have one vehicle shared with the family, we help them with getting transportation. We do have bus transportation throughout the Ames and Boone area that we can utilize. And then I alluded to it earlier, there is that childcare barrier. Now, we don’t provide them a childcare provider. But if they can find someone who is willing to help them with those evening times, as long as it’s not the other parent of the child, we definitely want to help support. We do allow some funding for that student while they’re in class. And then the last one, which is I think the most amazing and surprising one, is they do get stipends. Halfway through the class, they get $150. Now, we do stay in contact with the instructor to make sure that they are showing up to the class, they are doing well in the class. We don’t ask for any grades, just are they passing? Are they doing a satisfactory job? Yes, okay. They get $150 midway. And then when they finish, they’ve obviously passed the class and they get another $150. We then do that meet and greet. We get their resumes up to date. And then when they take a job within Story County and keep that job for 30 days, then they reach back out to us and let us know. We get in contact with their manager or supervisor, find out, just make sure that they’re doing a satisfactory job, that they’ve had the job for 30 days, and they get another $300. That’s really exciting. I mean, you could get $600 within a matter of a few months just to help you started in a new career, as well as all the other great benefits.

Amanda Ellis: I love the incentivizing along the way. I love the anticipating people’s needs and really just being thoughtful about if someone wants to make a change and how you can upskill in your own community, keep them in your own community. I just feel like you’re really doing a lot of things right here and setting a good foundation for a lot of best practices. One thing I will say is everything you just described, those are a lot of different things to pay for. Thinking about a community that might be trying to replicate this, how has the funding worked for all of this?

Nikki Fischer: Yes. All of the funding that we have for this program is through the Story County Board of Supervisors. It is ARPA funding that we did apply for and were granted. This funding is only good we have it for three years. Our plan with that is to get this program up and going with the help of obviously the Board of Supervisors understand that the workforce is a huge need. Our goal is that these employers who are benefiting from these workers will be able to pitch in some extra funding. It doesn’t have to all come from one employer obviously, but if we can just get several different employers who are receiving the benefits to help fund the program, once they see that we’ve got it going and that there’s success and we can show them the data points.

Amanda Ellis: Thinking about both of the programs we’ve talked about today, have you seen these be attractive to site selectors or a factor in companies deciding to expand in your region or locate there in the first place? Any thoughts to share?

Nikki Fischer: I mean, being in the economic development, it’s definitely something that comes up. Every time you have an existing company or a new company come in, they want to know about the workforce. They want to know about the numbers, the skills. It is something that we can use as a tool. We’ve got a few who are expanding who need some of the skilled workers that our classes can provide. That’s another thing that I’ve reached out to our existing companies and told them as well is maybe you have a great hire that comes in and they have a great personality, they have something that you can see working for you, but maybe they don’t have the actual certificate. As long as they’re okay with it, send that person my way, or even a group. Maybe a whole orientation group of five of them that you need. We can help get their certificates, and then they’re ready and set to work for you. We’ve got some of those agreements also going on. We have a company who’s getting ready to expand and they are thinking there’s going to be maybe about five or seven of their employees that are going to come and take the certificate course, which is great, because they can still get paid during the day to work and the employer doesn’t lose out, and then we can help them upskill in the evening and take that three months. And then that employer has someone who’s already loyal to them, but with more skills.

Amanda Ellis: And then lastly, what advice, Nikki, would you offer to other communities trying to shape their own workforce programs from doing this, from leading this? What would your tips be?

Nikki Fischer: Yeah, definitely. Starting something new is difficult. The one thing is just talking to your employers, get into the businesses, talk to your HR people. They’re the ones that are doing the hiring. They’re the ones that are seeing all the other crazy stories of people coming for an interview, and then just not showing up on Monday. What are they needing? Get into the businesses and really get that feedback from them. And then on top of that, looking outside of the box. Look at what education systems do you already have in place. We do a lot of work also with our high schools. How do you get high schoolers excited about companies that are in their town or maybe another town over, but they can still stay in their community? Just utilizing that. Not everybody has a university, but maybe you have a community college. Reach out to those because they already have things in place. You don’t have to completely rewrite something. You can just partner up. And then just finding partners, who else has the same goals as you? It could be the employers. It could be the schools. You could have a whole collaboration and just having those conversations. That’s honestly my favorite thing of my job is I get to go out and talk to all kinds of people. I could be talking to an employer one day and maybe a high school student the next day, but getting out there and talking to people so that what’s going on in your community helps you think outside of the box.

Amanda Ellis: I think when you were talking about partnerships, that’s so key to our industry in general. How can we work together to get where we’re trying to go and not duplicate work and all of that good stuff. I always like to end my interviews, Nikki, with a fun wrap up question. I know that you’re based in Ames. How long have you lived there? Are you from there?

Nikki Fischer: I’m from Central Iowa, I guess, just born and raised. Never really left. But in the Ames area, I’ve been here, let’s see, four years.

Amanda Ellis: Got you. What is fun to do in Ames? What’s a bucket list item or two if someone were going there that they should be sure to do?

Nikki Fischer: That is a hard question because there is so much going on. If you’re thinking Ames specifically, something that would have a variety of things would be our Main Street or our campus town. They’re two separate areas in Ames, but they’re definitely linked with the great entertainment. We’ve got different restaurants. There’s different events going on. There’s entertainment. There’s shops. There’s all kinds of great places to shop and a lot of different unique things. Also on Main Street, we have the farmer’s market in the summertime. That’s always a great attraction. That would give you the most variety. If you ever have a question on what to do, definitely just get a hold of us at the Ames Chamber. We always have fun stuff going on.

Amanda Ellis: Yes, the Chamber always knows the things. Well, thank you so much, Nikki. That was so much great info. And like I’ve said several times, I really love what you all are doing. I think you’re hitting a lot of the right notes, and that this will be really helpful for our listeners to hear a really solid example that’s working. Thanks so much for taking some time.

Nikki Fischer: Thank you for letting me just give all this information and to highlight all the amazing work that we’re doing.

Amanda Ellis: Thanks for listening to the Livability podcast, where we take you Inside America’s Best Cities. At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities across the country. We also partner with communities to reach their target companies and potential residents through digital content and print magazine programs. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and review this show wherever you listen to podcasts. You can learn more about us at livabilitymedia.com. Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email me at [email protected]. Until next time, from Livability, I’m Amanda Ellis, sharing the stories of America’s most promising places.