BHEF, together with the Principal Financial Group Foundation, Takes Action to Drive Effective Education Outcomes to Meet 21st Century Workforce Needs in Des Moines

Washington (August 28) —The Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), with a $25,000 grant from the Principal Financial Group Foundation, will support their effort to promote the alignment of education outcomes with the needs of the 21st century workforce in Des Moines.

In Des Moines, college and career readiness has been recognized as an essential element to increase the number of the city's talent prepared to enter with skill and knowledge requirements demanded by the region's economy. BHEF, in partnership with local business leaders and the Capital Crossroads Human Capital Committee, will equip Des Moines' business and higher education leaders with high-leverage strategies and cutting-edge tools that can help them provide the sustained leadership needed to achieve systemic improvement and develop an actionable strategy designed to connect these vital educational outcomes with 21st century workforce elements that produce graduates who are on par to succeed.

Over the next year, BHEF will:

• Diagnose the key leakage points in the education through workforce pipeline in Des Moines;
• Identify strategies for corporations to mobilize its core capacities to align education outcomes to workforce needs; and
• Link Des Moines to the national network of BHEF communities across the U.S. which is re-aligning higher education with the demands of the 21st century workforce.

"This effort, generously funded by the Principal Financial Group Foundation, will make great strides in connecting educational outcomes in Des Moines to the region's economic development," stated Brian Fitzgerald, CEO of BHEF. "Our members, such as Larry Zimpleman of The Principal, understand that it's more than just helping students access a college education. It's about creating vital, innovative partnerships among communities, business, and higher education that keep the education pipeline flowing, where baccalaureate attainment includes the soft skills that transcend cultures in today's global market, allowing graduates to seamlessly transition from the academic world to a meaningful career in today's high-demand fields."