As the Idaho Department of Education emphasizes career and technical education across the state, institutions like North Idaho College Workforce Training Center are introducing new programs and expanding existing offerings to meet needs in local industries. 

NIC Workforce’s new logging equipment operator apprenticeship program — set to debut in June — is one of the emerging programs that administrators say will address a shortage of skilled workers in the Panhandle.

“The logging industry has really changed over the years,” said Colby Mattila, NIC executive director of workforce development. “It’s become more mechanized. They've gone away from the old days of felling trees with a chainsaw.” 

When the apprenticeship begins this summer, participants will start with a five-week boot camp that includes intensive classroom instruction. Then, they’ll take part in a job fair that will determine their placement with a local employer with whom they’ll spend the remainder of the season getting hands-on experience operating a machine like a skidder or feller buncher.

The following year, participants will begin the cycle again and gain experience operating a different machine, which will allow them to exit the program with a well-rounded skillset and prepared for permanent employment. 

Additionally, the college is working to expand its offerings in Idaho’s northernmost counties. In January, NIC Workforce announced a collection of new programs at its Sandpoint campus aimed at addressing a regional shortage of medical professionals. 

The offerings include certifications for medical assistants, phlebotomists and certified nursing assistants, and will help North Idaho keep up with its fast-growing senior citizen population that will likely correlate with an increased need for medical workers in the coming years. 

In the near future, Matilla said, NIC Workforce is expecting to offer commercial driver's license training in Sandpoint and is examining the possibility of launching programs that can help people develop skills and gain certifications for careers as pharmacy technicians, fiber technicians and certified financial planners. 

Before any NIC workforce program comes to life, Matilla said, staff and administrators consult industry experts in the area to ensure the proposed offering addresses a shortage in the community. 

“It's all employer driven,” he said. “We don't come up with a program just because we want it. There has to be an industry need for our programs to launch.” 

Mattila also noted that NIC Workforce sometimes works with individual employers to create one-off custom training initiatives designed to enhance their staff’s expertise. 

“If a company has a specific need or training that we're not providing, they can call us up,” he said. “Usually within about two months, we can have a program up and running for them.” 

NIC Workforce’s logging equipment operator apprenticeship program will kick off June 2 at the Parker Technical Center in Rathdrum.