How to boost local economy through training

Ask almost any employer around here and they’ll tell you their greatest need, which also is their greatest worry: There’s a shortage of highly qualified workers.

Ask almost any legislator — there are several from Kootenai County who adamantly disagree — and they’ll tell you that education to bolster the workforce is imperative.

Amidst all this talk, some action is taking place. The 2016 Legislature made good strides in supporting public education, with higher ed and reading programs up to third grade receiving badly needed help.

In your back yard, one of the state’s most important educational success stories is taking shape. Out on the prairie next to the Kootenai Technical Education Campus, North Idaho College’s Career and Technical Education Facility is literally rising. Classes will be held in the 111,000-square-foot CTE this fall.

Two-thirds of the $15 million funding for this critically needed resource has already been secured by NIC from capital funds. That’s being financed without a tax increase, but your financial assistance is still very important to help create good jobs for your children, your grandchildren, and maybe even yourself.

NIC is launching a $5 million public “Building the Future” capital campaign, which will provide two valuable resources: excellent equipment for the facility, and scholarships for students who wouldn’t be able to learn these skills without some help.

In what fields will these students be training at the CTE?

n Automotive Technology

n Collision Repair Technology

n Architectural and Mechanical Computer Aided Design Technology

n Diesel Technology

n Industrial Mechanical/Millwright Technology

n Machining and CNC Technology

n Welding Technology

There are good jobs in virtually all of these fields, which is no accident. NIC has excelled at adapting to the needs of local and regional employers, and the new CTE will empower the college even more to provide training for jobs in demand.

For those who have questioned over the years whether our community college should be more focused on academic or career/workforce training, the answer clearly is: both. On the career/technical side of the equation, the answer is also: now.

We encourage businesses, service clubs, philanthropic groups and individuals to contact the North Idaho College Foundation at (208) 769-5978 or foundation@nic.edu to see how you might help.

In the long run, we can’t think of anything that will help our local economy more than the new CTE. We also can’t think of a better way to ensure our kids and grandkids will be able to raise their own families here because they won’t have to leave North Idaho to find a good job.