Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) is excited to announce the launch of an initiative that will help bring employment assistance resources to underserved areas in the state. IWD is expected to take delivery of a custom-built, 32-foot-long bus that will serve as a mobile IowaWorks office on wheels. The $470,000 unit includes 10 computer workstations, two 40-inch monitors for large-group presentations, and meeting space for job counselors to provide one-on-one sessions with Iowans. IowaWorks Division Administrator Linda Rouse says, “I think the opportunities with this really are endless and only limited by our ability to be innovative. We’ll be able to move in a wide variety of different directions with it.” Agency staff notes the mobile office will allow them to respond to natural disasters or large job loss scenarios to assist Iowans in filing unemployment claims quickly and help them get quickly get back into the workforce. The bus is currently under construction at a facility in Wisconsin and should be ready for use by summer 2023. Prior to the launch of the mobile office, Iowans would need to travel to a physical IowaWORKS location for employment service. Currently, there are less than a dozen of these locations in western Iowa.
