Growing Talent in Greater Des Moines Through The Legacy Project: Career Ready Collective

For Annabella Rivas-Rodriguez, a student at Waukee High School, The Legacy Project: Career Ready Collective helped push her out of her comfort zone. “There’s so many more things that I can do.”

But it’s not just students who are finding the program life-changing. One parent said it’s changed his daughter’s outlook on her future career options.

A recent U.S. News & World Report article explored how career readiness looks different in today’s world, and that students are looking for new ways to gain access to a competitive workforce as well as maintain required skills. The Career Ready Collective focuses on engaging and upskilling students and is one way the Greater Des Moines Partnership is addressing workforce readiness in Greater Des Moines.

Workforce Readiness in Greater Des Moines

Hitting a record number of participants in 2025, Career Ready Collective is making waves in Greater Des Moines (DSM). Last year, high school students from across the state — a record 266 of them to be exact! — engaged with local employers and learned from a curriculum developed by the Greater Des Moines Partnership with support from The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University that includes everything from building a resume and mastering interviews to building connections and focusing on mental and emotional wellness.

Thanks to funding from Principal Charity Classic and Sammons Financial, The Legacy Project: Career Ready Collective readies its participants for the workplace by teaching professional skills and highlighting the importance of mentorship and networking. Funding from these local employers, as well as new 2025 sponsors, The Mutual Group and Wellmark, has helped the Career Ready Collective program give students the groundwork to tackle their goals, paving the way to future professional success.

Also in 2025, the program expanded to two additional communities, Cedar Rapids and Pella. These communities utilized the Career Ready Collective curriculum along with livestream sessions.

Professional Growth Through the Career Ready Collective

For six weeks in June and July, Career Ready Collective participants hear from community members through timely keynote addresses and breakout session discussions. Along with these events, students also attend weekly free lunches, a college expo, a career fair, mock interviews, a business tour, and to round out the experience, cap off the experience with a celebration luncheon.

Student and business professional feedback continues to be positive for the Career Ready Collective. Community leaders are pleased the program has filled a soft skill development gap, while students gain confidence through public speaking and interviews with representatives from different colleges.

Watch and hear what program participants and champions have to say about the impact of the Career Ready Collective program:

Learn more about registering for the 2026 Career Ready Collective here. Questions can be directed to Krista Van Hooser-Perin, Director of Workforce, at the Greater Des Moines Partnership. 

Job opportunities and career resources are abundant in Greater Des Moines (DSM). Whether you're looking to find an internship,  a job, develop professionally or grow as a student, we have the resources to help you thrive.