General Trends

1. Loss of jobs

2. Loss of population

3. Loss of state and local revenues

4. Loss of private sector capacity

5. Loss of school enrollment

6. Aging population

Six local counties (Calhoun, Hamilton, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Webster, and

Wright) have lost 12.63% of their school age enrollment since 1997 as

compared to 4.3% for the State of Iowa.

Out migration

Iowa Central’s plan

• Cultural and recreational activities

• Health care

• Inward migration

• New employment opportunities in value added agriculture,

biotechnology and sustainable energy

Iowa Central has been very successful at creating a collegiate culture that has attracted young people to the college

and our community.

Iowa Central’s Collegiate Culture

1. Fall 2005 - 5,500 students

2. Two weeks of welcome back activities

3. Begins with Donuts with Doc and ends with Hog Roast

4. 11th student apartment - 780 students living on campus

5. Safe, friendly collegiate culture

6. Year round campus activities, coffee houses, dances, tournaments, music, theatre, athletics, and many others.

7. A collegiate climate that welcomes and encourages diversity and individual freedom with responsibility.

Iowa Central’s plan focuses on assisting rural communities in developing social, cultural, and recreational activities to

attract and keep young people.

The governor and legislature have said that the critical needs for Iowa

are the creation of jobs and the training of skilled workers in the areas of:

• Sustainable energy

• Biotechnology

• Pharmaceuticals for animals and humans

• Healthcare

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that between now and

2012 employment in the Biosciences will grow at an

average annual rate that is 13% greater than the annual growth rate for the overall employment.

Iowa Central will build business, industry, and education partnerships

• Developing short term courses

• Programs to meet the changing and evolving needs of area employers

• College contracted courses

• Specialized classes

•English as a Second Language for diverse workforce

Iowa’s licensed health care occupations indicate that

all but five of Iowa’s health care occupations exceed the national average of workers who are 55 and older. Additionally there

are fewer individuals entering licensed

professions that will result in greater shortages in

many rural areas.

To address the shortage of health care workers, the college is emphasizing

medical transfer and career programs in the following fields:

Nursing EMS

Chiropractic Osteopathic Medicine

Dentistry Pharmacy

Medicine Physical Therapy

Optometry Physician Assistant

Radiography Dental Hygiene

Highly skilled workers are needed in current and emerging industries

• Transportation firms

• Manufacturing

• Value Added AG industry

• Ethanol plants

• Biodiesel plants

• Wind Energy

• Developing value added agriculture

• Production methods

• Rapeseed project

Iowa Central college farms

Iowa Central’s Residential

Construction program is a

known leader in building science, energy efficiency

and indoor air quality.

Three new labs:

Biotechnology labto educate/improve healthcare, industrial lab

technicians, and healthier foods and environments.

Sustainable Energy lab to support ethanol, bio-diesel, methane, bio-mass

and wind energy initiatives.

Horticulture lab to develop new job opportunities and support work

in value added AG and Pharmaceuticals

The College will need to offer increased

scholarship assistance to both traditional and

non-traditional students to build the skilled workforce that is

necessary to attract and support the higher paying jobs to the area.

Summary

Our goal is to partner with our communities to create a rich economic structure based on

value added agriculture, biotechnology, sustainable

energy, quality health care and thriving communities