North Idaho Promises Grads a Job or Free Training

Starting this fall, North Idaho College will guarantee that its applied science graduates are “prepared for entry-level employment in their field of study in Idaho,” or else the college will provide them additional career-preparation services at no cost, The Coeur d’Alene/Post Falls Press reported. The community college in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, is calling the promise the NIC Guarantee and joins a small but growing list of institutions that are promising to help graduates land a job.

Eligible NIC graduates, starting with the Class of 2028, who are not employed within six months of receiving their degree will be able to access free job-placement assistance, career coaching, employer referrals and up to nine additional units in any of the college’s Workforce Training Center programs. Graduates must have earned an associate of applied science degree and maintained a GPA of 2.5 or higher to be eligible.

“Across the country, the one thing all institutions can guarantee is that they’re going to collect your tuition,” North Idaho President Nick Swayne told the Press. “Why aren’t there better guarantees of outcomes in higher education? Why ask people to send their kids here if we can’t guarantee the outcome?”

The college is also offering two additional promises to students: Those who have been working in a trade, served in the military or hold industry certifications will be able to turn those experiences into academic credit. In addition, eligible associate of arts or associate of science graduates are guaranteed to fulfill the transfer requirements necessary to attend one of North Idaho’s two partner institutions, the University of Idaho and Lewis-Clark State College. 

The NIC Guarantee also makes a promise to employers—if they identify a skills gap in an NIC graduate in the first 90 days of employment, NIC will work to close that gap through targeted, short-term, skills-based training, according to the NIC website.