And some students in the district already are excited to share what's coming this spring.
The school district is one of four to receive a $1 million competitive grant through the state of Iowa's Career Academy Incentive Fund to expand career programming in the Regional Innovation Center that is to break ground in coming months.
This is the fifth round of the state's annual investment to increase student access to college programs, state-of-the-art equipment and career paths in Iowa's in-demand fields. Katie Hoyt, director of communications and grant writing, said the opportunity aligned well with North Scott's current endeavors.
"We saw that there were other community colleges or collaborations that were funded and thought, 'Oh, we're already doing some of these career pathways,'" she said. "We just knew we had a case for ourselves. Then when we passed the bond referendum for the Regional Innovation Center, it just made sense for us to go for this money because that was the whole purpose of the center. It just made perfect sense."
The Regional Innovation Center will offer programming in:
- Advanced manufacturing.
- Agriculture equipment technology.
- Animal, plant and food sciences; veterinary technology.
- Automotive and diesel technology/repair.
- Construction and engineering design.
- Electrical maintenance and automation.
- HVAC, electricity and plumbing.
- Health care and teacher preparation.
- Information technology.
- Welding and metals.
Through the district's partnership with Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, the Regional Innovation Center will be open to all students in the region, not just those at North Scott.
"It was important to us that North Scott students have the opportunity to learn things most high schools in our country just don't have access to, but it was also important that it be accessible to all the other schools in our region," grant-writer and work-based learning coordinator James Simmons said. "I believe this was a big part of the reason the proposal was funded."
North Scott sophomore Brock Rathje already is heavily involved in agriculture and livestock but is excited to see the center's electrical programming.
"There's a big need for electricians; I feel like this could be good for getting more kids interested in learning about electricity and how to be safe while using it," he said.
Aside from capitalizing on his current passions, raising cattle, Rathje looks forward to working with like-minded young people.
"It's pretty neat to see how North Scott has taken the initiative to do this," he said. "Them being able to give that many opportunities is special to me because there's a lot of people that are over the age of 40 or 50 in the trades industry — not many younger people wanting to do this stuff. I think this will be helpful for younger students to realize just how cool and fun it is working with your hands or doing something different."
Simmons said receiving the grant affirmed the district was on the right track.
"It makes you feel pretty proud because we know we're working really hard to create clear pathways and a competitive advantage for our students. Not only are we trying to create clear pathways through education, but we're working hard to create clear pathways in industry," he said. "So our local industries are recognizing that this is a really viable pipeline, and we're excited to work with them to create pathways and then get students employed."
Hoyt, who has years of grant-writing experience, said the Career Academy Incentive Fund stood out.
"... Because it's so directly impactful for our students. It was never really about 'getting the money;' it was more about what this is going to do for our kids," she said. "When I was in high school, it didn't feel like there were as many options for kids who didn't want to go to four-year colleges or go into a specific thing. Now they're going to get to experience some of these things as high schoolers before they have to lock it in for life."
In addition to the center providing in-demand, work-based learning and training opportunities, Simmons said, more features make it unique.
"A lot of it is concurrent, so they're getting college credit as well," he said. "Even the way the facility is designed, it's really going to be state-of-the-art, and it's going to expose kids to real-world situations. Whether they're taking a course that simulates exactly what it's like to be a veterinary technician or planning out an area — like the basement of your home — to install water heaters or sewer pipes in your bathroom; all those things aren't typical for a high school."
Though the number of students the Regional Innovation Center will serve can't yet be determined, Hoyt and Simmons estimate a "couple hundred" minimum for its first year. Regardless, Simmons thinks it's a winner for everyone.
"We're seeing massive shortages in our state and country in these areas," he said. "I think it's going to be a massive benefit, not only for our students, but our local farmers or companies in our community."
Simmons added that initial plans for the Regional Innovation Center were solely agriculture-based, and he hopes the community is aware of how its career-academy programming has grown.
Superintendent Joe Stutting said the facility is slated to open for the 2024-2025 school year—what he calls a "huge asset" for North Scott and neighboring districts.
"We really feel like this project can be a crown jewel for Scott County," Stutting said, emphasizing again that the center isn't just for district students. "In education, as we figure out how to fill our skilled labor workforce and give kids opportunities, this is just a great step toward that."
The Career Academy Incentive Fund was established by a 2019 law extending the statewide penny sales tax (SAVE) for school infrastructure through January 2051. The fund will award at least $1 million annually to support career academy partnerships among various entities, aligning with the Future Ready Iowa Initiative. Applications for a sixth round of Career Academy Incentive Fund grants will open next spring. Visit the Iowa Department of Education's website for more information.
©2022 Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
