$1 million each was awarded to Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Iowa Valley Community College District and Iowa Western Community College; $618,000 awarded to Iowa Central Community College
DES MOINES — Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education announced that four Iowa community colleges will receive a total of over $3.6 million in competitive grants through the state’s Career Academy Incentive Fund to empower more students with multiple pathways to postsecondary success through partnerships between community colleges, schools, industry and community stakeholders.
To further grow access to career academy programs in high-demand fields through new or expanded regional centers, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (Muscatine), Iowa Valley Community College District (Grinnell) and Iowa Western Community College (Glenwood) will each receive a $1 million grant and Iowa Central Community College (Eagle Grove) will receive an award of nearly $618,000.
“The Career Academy Incentive Fund is an innovative, results-based program that provides high school students with opportunities to gain valuable experience and helps build a strong talent pipeline in our local communities,” said Governor Kim Reynolds. “I applaud Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Iowa Valley Community College District, Iowa Western Community College and Iowa Central Community College for their work to grow career academies that prepare students for in-demand careers here in Iowa.”
“Connecting the classroom to the workplace, the Career Academy Incentive Fund equips students across Iowa with work-based learning in high-wage and public-good careers as they earn industry-recognized credentials and college credit in high school,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “We commend the awardees for their leadership in realizing our shared priority to empower all students with multiple pathways to postsecondary success, changing lives and strengthening communities.”
Iowa Western Community College will launch an innovative, new regional center in Glenwood, offering five southwest Iowa school districts access to four career academies in cybersecurity, mass digital communications, robotics and precision agriculture.
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges will expand the Muscatine Industrial Technology Center that serves six area school districts, providing new lab space for career academies in CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining, digital modeling for manufacturing, engineering technology and welding.
Iowa Valley Community College District will provide additional lab space for the automotive repair technician career academy in Grinnell and support enrollment growth across six area high schools in existing academies spanning business administration, health sciences, manufacturing and paraeducator.
Finally, Iowa Central Community College will modernize the North Central Career Center with new health sciences equipment serving four surrounding school districts in Eagle Grove. North Central Career Center offers six career academies in business, education, health sciences, industrial mechanics/machines technology, liberal arts and welding.
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 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 eighth round of awards since the program was launched.