The Technology Association of Iowa in partnership with John Deere has announced Iowa Tech Connect, a new talent development initiative for early-career tech professionals. TAI first announced the program at the 2022 Prometheus Awards.

The interactive program will focus on providing professional development and guidance led by experienced tech professionals from diverse industries, a news release said. The program will include six daylong professional development sessions starting in July.

“We know that talent retention is a real and ongoing challenge, so we identified a clear underserved area of our ecosystem which is a lack of community and guidance for early career tech professionals,” Brian Waller, president of TAI, said in a prepared statement.

Joel Hergenreter, ISG embedded system test and validation lead at John Deere, said, “We have an opportunity to build a thriving network of tech people that brings diversity of thought, gender, experiences, ethnicity, and passion for tech in our state. By creating this network, we’ll drive more innovation to fuel more people to consider moving to and staying in Iowa.”

Nominations for Iowa Tech Connect are open through March 31, and individual applications will open in April 2023. More information is available on the program page.