Among the questions that JFAC members had this morning for NIC President Priscilla Bell, Sen. Mitch Toryanski, R-Boise, said he was surprised to learn that the college provides some customized workforce training for local employers. "There was a time when companies would train their own workforce," Toryanski said, "and it sounds as if the taxpayer is now training the workforce for the private sector. ... How long has that been the trend?"

Bell responded that there is some federal funding specifically for that, but, "The employers also have contributed, and in many cases pay completely for training for their particular company." Bell said when she arrived at NIC, she found that some workforce training programs were operating at a loss; she put a stop to that, so that all now are at least self-supporting and most generate some funds for the college to cover overhead. "We're happy to fill that need, but we're not happy to fill that need at the expense of our local taxpayers and students," Bell said.