DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education today awarded four Iowa community colleges nearly $4 million in competitive grants through the state’s Career Academy Incentive Fund. The grants support partnerships between community colleges, schools, industry and community stakeholders to empower more students with multiple pathways to postsecondary success.
To increase access to career academy programs in high-demand fields through new or expanded regional centers, Northwest Iowa Community College (Marcus), Southwestern Community College (Creston) and Western Iowa Tech Community College (Denison) will each receive grants of $1 million and Iowa Central Community College (Fort Dodge) will receive a grant of over $944,000.
“Iowa is investing in its future through the Career Academy Incentive Fund. High school students across the state gain valuable experience, skills and credentials that will not only help shape their futures, but will also build the next generation of workers in our communities, ” Gov. Reynolds said. “I applaud Iowa Central Community College, Northwest Iowa Community College, Southwestern Community College and Western Iowa Tech Community College for their continued work to grow career academies that prepare students for in-demand careers here in Iowa.”
Career academies play an important role in expanding access to high-demand and often capital-intensive career and technical education (CTE) programs for Iowa’s students. Valuable skill development, career exploration, work-based learning and professional training for high-demand careers are provided through career academies.
“Through the critical work-based learning infrastructure these grants support, learners across Iowa are attaining industry-recognized credentials and college credit while in high school,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “We commend these secondary, postsecondary, and industry partners for their leadership in connecting the classroom to the workplace, empowering all students with multiple pathways to high-wage and public-good careers.”
Northwest Iowa Community College will use the funds to establish a new 7,000-square-foot regional center in the town of Marcus. Regional centers are designated facilities for the delivery of CTE programming that must provide access to at least four career academy programs and serve a minimum of four school districts or a combined minimum of 120 students from at least two school districts.
The new regional center in Marcus is slated to include three classrooms, a computer lab and health care lab space for certified nurse assistant education. It will offer career academy programs in education, health sciences, engineering design and welding technology. Funds will also be used to renovate existing labs at MMCRU High School. The regional center will serve students from five additional school districts in northwest Iowa.
Southwestern Community College’s $1 million grant will add a welding technology career academy at its existing regional center on its Creston campus and fund the construction of a skilled trades facility that includes classroom and lab space for established career academies in carpentry and building trades and electrical technology. Renovations to existing spaces will provide classroom and lab resources for the welding technology career academy, filling a need for the five school districts it serves. These districts have not been able to offer welding education due to a lack of industrial technology teachers in their districts.
Western Iowa Tech Community College plans to use its $1 million grant to add career academies for health sciences, welding technology and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). The academies will operate out of Western Iowa Tech’s regional center in Denison, which is under construction and slated to open in fall 2025. Agriculture, automotive, business and education career academies will launch at the regional center’s opening, with the three new academies set to start in fall 2026.
Iowa Central Community College plans to modernize its culinary arts career academy at its Fort Dodge regional center with nearly $1 million in grant funds. The renovated facility will feature a state-of-the-art kitchen and front-of-house spaces anchored by industry-leading culinary technology and space for collaborative learning. In addition to relocating its teaching restaurant, Iowa Central Community College plans to add a bakery and coffee shop to its culinary career academy space. The culinary arts career academy is one of seven career academies offered at the Fort Dodge regional center, which serves seven school districts.
Established in 2019, the Career Academy Incentive Fund is supported by a statewide penny sales tax for school infrastructure, called Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE). Through the Career Academy Incentive Fund, students in partnering school districts will earn industry-recognized credentials and high school and college credit, while gaining technical and academic skills through career and technical education (CTE) programs aligned with business and industry. The Iowa Department of Education may award up to $5 million in competitive grants annually, operating up to two competitions each year. Today, the Department is announcing the ninth round of awards since the program was launched.
Additional information can be found on the Department’s Career Academy Incentive Fund webpage.