Grant awarded to community colleges to help the workforce

Friday, October 27, 2023

Part of the funding will go towards new equipment and the creation/remodeling of driver training facilities.

A grant recently announced by Governor Kim Reynolds will help more individuals obtain their commercial driver’s license (CDL) and get into the workforce.

The Iowa CDL Infrastructure Grant program is awarding funding to 10 of Iowa’s community colleges, Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) being one of them. More than $4.8 million will be distributed to the 10 colleges and help get an estimated 1,305 participants into these CDL programs.

Part of the funding will go towards new equipment and the creation/remodeling of driver training facilities. The CDL programs must offer competency-based training courses and/or a training course that would allow someone to complete training and take the licensing exam within a 30-day window.

“It’s important that we do everything we can to not only make it easier for individuals to obtain these licenses, but also to support the long-term viability of the programs that made it possible to gain that experience right here in Iowa,” Governor Reynolds said.

The community colleges have agreed to go on a five-year tuition freeze for these programs once the project is completed.

"The grant will allow us to safely and more efficiently add to our CDL offering by having our own trucks and trailers, adding a new driveway off the back entrance to the College so trucks and trailers don't have to come in the main entrance around the roundabout to get to the CDL driving range and add a storage building for the truck to be placed inside during winter months," Dan Neenan, Director, NECAS, Safety and Transportation, said.

For more information on the grant program and for a list of awardees, visit this link.