COEUR d’ALENE — If you’ve been considering a new career, perhaps a plumber, electrician or commercial driver, this is a good time to go for it.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of a time when things might be slower,” said Vicki Isakson, director of North Idaho College’s Workforce Training and Community Education. “Especially for those that are unemployed or underemployed.

“It’s not often that a program comes along where there are very few strings attached,” she added.

For a limited time, federal CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) funding is available through the Idaho Launch program. Students may qualify for up to 100 percent tuition assistance through Dec. 4.

The NIC Workforce Training Center is one of the participating institutions. For North Idahoans affected by the pandemic, this means that tuition for the programs could be paid for 100 percent. 

"I’m telling everyone I know who might be interested in a career change that this is the chance of a lifetime to have much or all of their tuition paid for," said Tom Greene, NIC marketing and communications coordinator.

Classes for a commercial driver’s license, for example, start every Monday and last about a month. A person could sign up this week and have their CDL license by Christmas — completely paid for.

"The CDL program is a great example of what this program can offer," Greene said. "It normally costs $3,880 to take the CDL course — that includes a Department of Transportation physical, drug screening, roads skills testing, everything. The course typically takes four weeks to complete. They can be a commercial truck driver in a few weeks at no cost to themselves if they qualify."

The center’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning program is available for the funding, as is solar electrician, which is a profession in demand.

Anyone can apply. Participants just go to the website and fill out a form. They will then be contacted by a career counselor, who will walk them through the qualification process and help determine the training that’s best for them.

The participant then gets a voucher from Idaho Workforce Development Council to give to the institution that holds the training.

"It’s a really simple process," Greene said.

Caty Solace, IWDC chief communications and operations officer, said Idahoans who have been affected by the pandemic still have time to apply to get 100% of their eligible courses paid for via the Idaho Launch program. In its first partial week of outreach, it had more than 100 people fill out the form and over 1,000 unique visitors to the site.

Info: Idaholaunch.com