Senators highlight affordable job training opportunities at community colleges

Rep. Steckman, Senator Courtney, and Senator Ragan at North Iowa Area Community College. Photo by Bryon Houlgrave/The Globe Gazette.

Last week Senate Majority Whip Tom Courtney, who serves on the Iowa Economic Development Board, traveled to community college campuses across the state to highlight the positive impact of job training programs on local communities.

A fact sheet about the legislature’s work to support community colleges and links to some of the press coverage of the tour are below.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACT SHEET: Four Years of Progress

• Keeping tuition affordable. Since 2007, we’ve worked to make college more affordable by keeping tuition costs down through increased state funding for community colleges.  This year we provided an additional $4.8 million for Vocational Technical Tuition Grants and All Iowa Opportunity Scholarships.

• Providing job training to more than 25,800 Iowans since 2007. Businesses across Iowa now partner with their area community colleges to develop training programs specifically tailored to their needs. Iowa businesses are helped train new, current, and prospective employees through programs like the Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training Program, Iowa Jobs Training Program, and the Accelerated Career Education Program.

• Targeting “green collar” jobs. Community colleges are successfully helping Iowa attract renewable energy-related businesses by providing “green” jobs training in wind technology, biofuels and other specialized fields.  The effort is funded in part by the Iowa Power Fund, a four-year $100 million investment.

• Building state-of-the-art classrooms. This year the legislature provided $2 million for major renovations and repairs at Iowa’s local community colleges.  Over the next year, the state will invest an additional $5.5 million for classrooms and buildings for Accelerated Career Education programs.

• Mason City Globe Gazette: NIACC jobs-training programs play vital role in area economy
• KIMT Mason City: Lawmakers Tour NIACC
• Webster City Daily Freeman-Journal: Highlighting progress: State Sens. Beall, Olive and Courtney tour ICCC facilities
• Ames Tribune: Legislators tour Hunziker Center
• Newton Daily News:  State senators praise work of DMACC 
during visit to Newton campus Monday
• Ottumwa Courier: Tour of Indian Hills shows off economic development plan
• KTVO Ottumwa: Senators talk economic development at IHCC