Education Drives our Great Economy, or EDGE, is a campaign supported by private and public entities with an eye to the future and a goal of helping Central Iowa businesses secure the educated, skilled workers they need – now and long into the future. EDGE is a collaborative of over 140 education, business, non-profit, and public stakeholders involved that have developed a bold community goal, milestones, and benchmarks.

EDGE is a cradle through career three-pronged campaign:

  • Zero-20 is designed to ensure that every student is prepared to become a successful, productive citizen filled with hope, well-being, and engagement in the workforce.
  • Lifelong learning aims at providing all working adults the opportunity to maximize their potential through continuing education and skills-based learning to expand their career options and attain sustainable growth.
  • Advocacy is how EDGE plans to keep the community informed and to raise awareness of best practices in education.

By creating a vision for addressing the human talent pipeline around Central Iowa, EDGE is building momentum and uniting Central Iowans to ensure we are ready to compete globally. We benefit when we work together to increase the competitiveness of our workforce:

  • Businesses will benefit from a stronger workforce with employees and job applicants that have the skills that match their needs.
  • Workers will receive training that opens doors for in-demand jobs and higher pay.
  • Central Iowa will benefit from increased productivity and economic growth.