Workforce
The Cedar Valley Region’s greatest asset is the knowledge, skills and work ethic of the workforce.
Availability and Characteristics
The quality of the workforce is reflective in favorable comments received from area employers:
- “We have a very hard-working workforce that is highly skilled and motivated.”
- “Our workforce has an excellent work ethic. The productivity here is higher than at any of our other plants.”
- “Our turnover rate is virtually zero and absenteeism is not an issue.”
- “Much of our workforce has been here 25 to 30 years.”
- “Turnover here is less than 1%, and that is due to retirements. The average tenure is 17-20 years.”
Within a 75-mile radius, less than a 1 ½ hour commute, is a total labor force of over 783,000 according to the Bureau Labor Statistics.
A regional labor shed study is currently underway by the Iowa Department of Workforce Development and will be available online soon. It will address underemployment, availability and willingness of current and prospective employees to change employment, occupational experience and wages. For project-specific workforce data, please contact us. (link to contact us section)
Higher Education and Skills Training Centers
The universities and colleges serving the Region award more than 3,342 degrees annually, and the community colleges and technical schools graduate 3,342 students annually.
Universities, Colleges and Community Colleges
Serving Cedar Valley Region |
| State Regents Universities |
 University of Northern Iowa (UNI)
UNI is located within the Cedar Falls/Waterloo metro area and has a student enrollment of 15,771. UNI is one of three regent universities in Iowa. The University has ranked second in Midwest top public comprehensive universities by U.S. News and World Report for ten consecutive years. |
| Private Universities and Colleges |
 Upper Iowa University Waterloo Center
Upper Iowa is a private, four-year liberal arts college. Approximately 475 students are enrolled in classes at the Waterloo Center. |
 Wartburg College
Wartburg is a four-year private liberal arts college located in Waverly with a student enrollment of approximately 1,800 students. U.S. News and World Report includes it as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation in the 2007 America’s Best Colleges. Wartburg is one of only 34 colleges profiled as a college of distinction in the central U.S. region. |
| Community/Technical Colleges |
 Hawkeye Community College
Hawkeye serves all six counties in the region including Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw and Grundy. The college has an enrollment of 4,031 full-time and 1,343 part-time students. |
 Iowa Valley Community College (IVCC) |
 Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) |
 North Iowa Community College (NIACC) |
Employee Training Assistance
TriMark Corporation, headquartered in New Hampton, is a leading hardware manufacturer providing "quality" engineered and manufactured door and enclosure hardware to OEMs in multiple markets. Our quality reputation is a direct result of our people and their commitment to the customer. We also benefit from low turnover rates-the average tenure of our 325 employees is 10 years and 2 months. It's our people that make the difference at TriMark. Lynn Hopp
Director of Human Resources
TriMark Corporation
The four community colleges serving the region provide an array of employee training resources to help businesses maintain a competitive edge. Visit the colleges’ websites to learn more about programs/curriculum available. The community colleges also administer the State of Iowa jobs training assistance programs .