Announcing Iowa South

Regional Talent Attraction Initiative Aims to Help Local Businesses

Ottumwa, IA – Indian Hills Community College (IHCC) has joined forces with economic development organizations in the 9-county area, including Greater Ottumwa Partners in Progress, to develop a regional talent attraction initiative branded Iowa South. The primary goal of Iowa South is to help local businesses fill their workforce pipelines.

In a joint statement, Ashley Moyer, Executive Director of Continuing Education and Workforce Solutions at Indian Hills, and Sharon Stroh, VP of Industrial Development at GOPIP said, “Our colleagues consistently hear from businesses that they are having a hard time filling high quality jobs within their organizations. Locally, we know that Iowa South is a great place to live with abundant job opportunities, but not enough people outside of our region know that. The goal of this initiative is to share the Iowa South story across the state and nation. We want to encourage others to check out this area and consider moving here to find valuable work and grow their careers.

This month, Iowa South is launching three coordinated initiatives. First, Iowa South has partnered with the larger state talent attraction initiative being run by Iowa Economic Development Authority. This initiative will feature Iowa profiles on the popular Livability.com website, and within a print piece that will be distributed across the nation. Iowa South will be featured prominently on both the website and within the printed Iowa guide.

Secondly, Iowa South has launched a website, www.iowasouth.com, for individuals interested in learning more about our region as a whole. It will feature regional attractions, stories about the people and businesses that call Iowa South home and select job opportunities.

Finally, Iowa South is on Facebook, collecting regionally-centric stories to share regarding career success, events that engage individuals or families, and highlight work or recreational opportunities in the region. Please use the hashtag #IowaSouth to share your great Iowa South experience.

While Iowa South is focused on attracting outside talent to help grow both the population and the regional economy, the steering team is also dedicated to assisting local talent. If you need assistance with career/skills training or want to find out more about the job opportunities we have available locally, please contact us at iowasouth@indianhills.edu