WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has awarded Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) a grant of $4,870,648 to support its Skill Up program, a comprehensive IT training solution for the Greater Dubuque area.  The program provides training for those currently working as well as the unemployed so that workers complete the program with the necessary skills in the manufacturing, health care, and professional and business services fields.  

The funding comes from the H-1B Technical Skills Training Grant Competition.  These grants, authorized by the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA), are funded through fees paid by employers to bring foreign workers into the United States under the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program.

“This innovative program brings the best of both worlds together: funding that supports the training of skilled workers to meet local demand for jobs,” said Harkin.  “I applaud NICC’s continued work in this effort and I thank the U.S. Department of Labor for recognizing Iowa’s advancements in job training.”

NICC is working with several key partners on the Skill Up program, some of which include the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation,  Clarke University, Loras College and corporate partners such as Cabela’s, IBM, and John Deere.

This NICC announcement is part of a nationwide announcement today by the Department of Labor.  DOL has awarded $183 million to 43 grantees representing 28 states.