NIC’s Workforce Training Center expands to Sandpoint

North Idaho College Workforce Training Center, based in Post Falls, is bringing career-building programs to residents of Idaho’s two northernmost counties.

The courses at NIC’s Sandpoint branch will eventually cover a range of industries, but will initially focus on health care.

“Our goal is to meet students where they are and help them succeed,” Colby Mattila, NIC’s executive director of workforce and economic development, said in a statement. “This expansion allows us to better serve the region’s workforce by connecting more Bonner and Boundary County community members with in-demand skills training and businesses with opportunities to improve their productivity through employee training we provide.”

Unlike NIC’s academic classes, workforce courses are noncredit and generally lead to certification or licensure while providing quicker entry into a career. Classes are open to the public, typically without preadmission, academic or residential requirements.

The center enrolled 4,672 students in 2024, Communications Coordinator Maureen Dolan said.

“These programs focus on equipping students with the knowledge and hands-on experience needed to meet the needs of today’s job market,” Mattila said. “By offering targeted training in specific industries, workforce training helps community members access new career opportunities, earn higher wages and fill critical workforce gaps.”

School officials hope the expansion will help North Idaho’s shortage of health care professionals.

“We cannot train CNAs and MAs fast enough to meet the need for skilled professionals to fill jobs in our local health care industry,” Health Careers Program Manager Marty Matney said in a statement.

Health careers courses being offered at the NIC Sandpoint Center include training for CNAs; Assistance with Medications; Medical Assistant Apprenticeship; Phlebotomy Technician; Basic Life Support – CPR Provider; Heartsaver, CPR, and AED (Automated External Defibrillator); IV Therapy for Healthcare Providers; and Phlebotomy for Healthcare Professionals.

Besides health care training, the center at Sandpoint is offering a shotgun armorer course and a boiler/steam training certification course.

Plans are also underway for a commercial driver’s license course in Sandpoint, once a practice location is secured. The program prepares students for careers in transportation, another industry with high demand in North Idaho, a news release said.

NIC at Sandpoint continues other college services, including enrollment, test proctoring, academic and dual credit advising, adult education and some college credit classes.

Registration is open for the center’s winter and spring workforce training courses. Many classes begin this month, which require registration as soon as possible. Classes will be offered again in April, Dolan said.