*Special session to focus on food and beverage-related careers!!!*

The Iowa Department of Education, in support of the Future Ready Iowa Initiative, is excited to announce a new partnership with the Iowa Restaurant Association Education Foundation, Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association, Iowa Gaming Association, Iowa Travel Industry Partners, Iowa Wholesale Beer Distributors Association, Iowa Tourism Office and Iowa Association of Career and Technical Education to develop new promotional materials to highlight a wide range of exciting and fulfilling careers in hospitality and tourism fields in Iowa.

Employers from these and related industries are invited to participate in this employer-only roundtable/focus group opportunity to review and discuss proposed statewide career awareness materials, which will include not only descriptions of various positions, but also career pathways clearly showing how to enter and successfully advance through these careers in Iowa.

A total of 5 virtual events are being held in April 2022. Employers are welcome to join any of these sessions that best fit their schedules. A small number of seats are also open for educators, workforce advisors, and other support partners. Additional information and resources will be sent to each group prior to each session. A finished product is planned for release in July 2022.

Similar projects were completed for other industries like Health Science, Building Trades, and Advanced Manufacturing and can be downloaded at CareerPathways.EducateIowa.gov. Contact Joe.Collins@iowa.gov for additional information about this project and to offer any feedback if unable to attend.