$2.7 million U.S. Department of Labor grant will help train area high school students in high demand industry skills

High school students in Northeast Iowa will be able to get two years of special skills training in high demand fields such as finance and insurance, healthcare, information technology, advanced manufacturing, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics thanks to a $2.7 million grant announced by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission in Decorah applied for the grant and received it--the only grant given in Iowa.  Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) will be leading the implementation of the grant.

NICC and UERPC will partner with 23 high schools in Northeast Iowa.  The program will allow participating high school juniors to select a two-year pathway, taking college credit courses through NICC while still attending high school, all while on course to receive their high school diplomas.

The participants also will receive career counseling and have access to services based on their individual needs. The program will enable participants to graduate from high school and enter the workforce with industry credentials or to begin their college education having already earned college credits.