SBDCIncubator / AcceleratorWorkforce DevelopmentAbout Us                               SERVING BUSINESSES SINCE 1997



Accelerated Career Education Program (260G)

Program Purpose: To provide assistance to Iowa’s community colleges in either establishing new or expanding current programs that expressly train individuals for the positions most needed by Iowa’s businesses.

Benefits to the Partnering Business: As NIACC expands current programs or establishes new ones, area businesses get a larger pool of individuals with the skills they are most in need of, while assisting the college with some of their expenses through a diversion of state withholding taxes.

Current NIACC ACE Programs:
  • Information Systems Technology
  • Hospitality/Food Service Management
  • Industrial Welding

Source of Funds: Each ACE Program has three funding components:

  • The tuition and fees paid by enrolled students.
  • Partner company match. Partner businesses match or pay to the college at least 20% of the costs of the program – determined by the number of seats they agree to sponsor and this can be either in cash or an in-kind contribution.
  • Program job credits which are derived by diverting a portion of the businesses current employee’s state withholding taxes to the college to cover the gap not supported by the tuition and the partner company match.

Program Limitations: The program job credits are based upon the wages paid to individuals who complete the course and hired by sponsoring businesses. The minimum wage must be 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline for a family of two, which is refigured each program year. The allowable withholding credit can be up to 10% of the estimated starting wage of an ACE Program graduate or less if less is needed to fill the gap; therefore the higher the wage the higher the potential credit. Businesses sponsoring more than four seats in a designated ACE Program must agree to offer a position to at least 25% of the number they are sponsoring, if a proper opening and a proper candidate exist at the time. The student is under no obligation to accept the offer.

Eligible Partner Businesses: An eligible business is engaged in interstate or intrastate commerce for the purpose of manufacturing, processing or assembling products, construction, conducting research and development, or providing services interstate or intrastate commerce.

Ineligible Applicants – An ineligible applicant is a business engaged in retail services.

Application Process: Partnering business agreements are entered into through North Iowa Area Community College. Businesses interesting in sponsoring ACE Program seats should contact Terry Schumaker, Economic Development Director

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