NICC Board agrees to spend $400,000 on renovation to Calmar campus' Ag Technology building

The NICC Board of Trustees has given its go-ahead to the school's final plans and specifications for renovations to the Agricultural Technologies Building wind/welding lab on the Calmar campus.
 
NICC will proceed with the renovation project on the northwest corner of the facility, which had been previously utilized as a welding lab.

Said NICC vice president of finance and administration John Noel, "We will be using $400,000-$450,000 of our 2011 Accelerated Careers in Education State of Iowa funding for the renovation and construction to modify the old lab areas and a classroom."
 
Renovations to the Ag Tech Building's current wind and welding labs will support a variety of training, including welding, industrial maintenance, industrial electronics and sustainable/renewable energy. The instructor-mentored learning environment will provide students and employers flexibility of class schedule.  Multiple start dates will allow students to enter training programs at various points throughout the year.
 
Northeast Iowa employers have told NICC they are looking for students with such skills.  Currently employers have open employment positions in these areas, yet there are insufficient numbers of prospective employees who possess the skills to qualify for the jobs.