The Iowa Department of Education awarded four Iowa community colleges nearly $4 million in grants through the ninth round of the state’s Career Academy Incentive Fund program. Northwest Iowa Community College, Southwestern Community College and Western Iowa Tech Community College will each receive grants of $1 million, and Iowa Central Community College will receive a grant of over $944,000. Here is how the schools will use the funding:

• Northwest Iowa Community College will establish a new 7,000-square-foot regional center in the town of Marcus that will offer career academy programs in education, health sciences, engineering design and welding technology.
• Southwestern Community College will add a welding technology career academy at its existing regional center on its Creston campus and construct a skilled trades facility with spaces for established career academies in carpentry and building trades and electrical technology.
• Western Iowa Tech Community College will add career academies for health sciences, welding technology and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). The academies will operate out of Western Iowa Tech’s regional center in Denison, which is under construction and slated to open in fall 2025.
• Iowa Central Community College plans to modernize its culinary arts career academy at its Fort Dodge regional center. In addition to relocating its teaching restaurant, the college will add a bakery and coffee shop to its culinary career academy space.