Rescheduled to February 17, 2026: Work-Based Learning Webinar on Launching a High School IT Community Help Desk

Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the previously scheduled webinar for January 27, 2026, has been rescheduled due to February 17, 2026. If you had already registered for the webinar today, you are automatically registered for the new time.

Work-Based Learning Webinar: Launching a High School IT Community Help Desk
February 17, 2026
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Register for the Webinar (Zoom)

Join Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa Department of Education for a new webinar to discover how work-based learning (WBL) can make a real impact in the lives of both students and older Iowans. This February 17, 2026, webinar will showcase how to create a High School IT Community Help Desk to assist residents of senior living facilities with everyday tech tasks - such as attaching a photo to an email and installing a solitaire app without ads - while helping students develop technical and customer service skills that support their long-term success.

The webinar will feature the partnership between NewAldaya Lifescapes in Cedar Falls and the Waterloo Career Center and provide a firsthand look at how how employers and schools can collaborate to offer this opportunity locally.

View Handout: Launch Your High School IT Community Help Desk

Agenda:

• Welcome and Introductions:
  • Linda Fandel, Work-Based Learning Liaison, Iowa Workforce Development
• Why and How Waterloo Career Center Launched a Community Help Desk and the Results:
  • Kyle Kuhlers, Computer Programming and Cyber Security Instructor and Coach, Waterloo Career Center and Hawkeye Community College, 2025-26 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow
• Why NewAldaya Lifescapes Became a Partner, How Much Work Was Involved and How Residents Benefited:
  • Kirstin Lunn, Recreational Therapist, NewAldaya Lifescapes, Cedar Falls
• How WesleyLife/Halcyon House Created a Paid High School IT Community Help Desk Model and Why It Is Working:
  • Becky Carter, Director of Wellness, Halcyon House, Washington
• How High Schools Can Award Work-Based Learning Credit for a Help Desk Partnership:
  • Heather Meissen, Administrative Consultant, Bureau of CTE and Postsecondary Readiness, Iowa Department of Education (IDOE)
• Final Remarks:
  • Heather Meissen