Month: October 2021

The Iowa Workforce Skirmishes by Ron Cox, PhD, CIRAS Director

A historical look at Iowa’s labor force leads to a new approach for companies to address systemic workforce shortages. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines skirmish as “a minor fight in war usually incidental to larger movements.” This seems a fitting description of the labor force issues that have been brewing in Iowa—and what the data suggests we … Continue reading The Iowa Workforce Skirmishes by Ron Cox, PhD, CIRAS Director

Did You Know? Federal Contract COVID Vaccination Requirements

By Justin Niceswanger On September 9, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors.  The order creates requirements for federal agencies to add a new Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause in many federal solicitations and contracts (and other contract-like instruments) which, in turn, requires many federal contractors and subcontractors to … Continue reading Did You Know? Federal Contract COVID Vaccination Requirements

CIRAS News: Meet Eric Higgins

Eric Higgins is the most recent addition to the CIRAS staff, and he will be working alongside the Industry 4.0 team. Over his career, Eric has gained experience surrounding automation implementation by working with industrial scale manufacturers. He has a background in Lean management and facilitation, which makes him a valuable member of our ever-growing … Continue reading CIRAS News: Meet Eric Higgins