North Idaho College celebrates more than 130 trade apprentices

More than 130 North Idaho College apprentices crossed the stage at Coeur d’Alene’s Schuler Performing Arts Center, sending new electricians, plumbers, HVAC workers, heavy equipment operators and construction workers into a North Idaho labor market that needs them now. The ceremony was part of a class of more than 200 graduates and underscored a direct pipeline from NIC’s Workforce Training Center into local jobs, where families and employers are watching the trades as closely as any four-year degree.

The June 4 event marked the college’s second consecutive apprenticeship graduation ceremony and came with a completion rate that put NIC well ahead of broader benchmarks. NIC said 90.2% of its trades apprentices completed their programs in 2024-25, compared with Idaho’s state average of 71.86% and a national average of roughly 46.5% reported by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship. For Kootenai County businesses short on skilled labor, that gap matters because it means more trained workers are actually finishing the path and entering the workforce.

The graduates came from five trade areas: electrical, HVAC, plumbing, heavy equipment operation and construction. The room looked more like a jobsite gathering than a traditional commencement, with work boots, jeans, trucker hats and Western hats replacing caps and gowns. Some apprentices tossed hats into the air, and one even cartwheeled across the stage as families, employers and instructors cheered.

NIC President Nick Swayne told the apprentices that apprenticeship does more than teach a trade: it builds confidence, character and respect for work done well. Executive director Colby Mattila said the celebration was about the people behind the numbers, including apprentices who showed up after long days on job sites, employers who invested in them and families who carried them through early mornings and late nights.

The broader numbers help explain why the model is gaining traction in North Idaho. NIC’s Workforce Training Center serves more than 5,000 students annually and works with industry and business partners on high-demand training. The college’s apprenticeship structure combines on-the-job training with classroom instruction and typically lasts two to four years. Electrical, HVAC and plumbing apprenticeships require 144 hours of related instruction each year, while the construction apprenticeship requires 160 hours of related technical instruction and 6,000 to 8,000 hours of on-the-job learning.

State data shows why those pathways are drawing attention from employers and families alike. Idaho Department of Labor figures show 1,877 Idahoans enrolled in registered apprenticeship programs, with 236 Idaho businesses sponsoring them. The state says 93% of apprenticeship completers were employed after finishing, and their average salary was listed at $77,000. NIC also offers apprenticeship instruction beyond the five trades honored at the ceremony, including aircraft mechanic and health care, reinforcing its role as a regional workforce hub rather than just a trades school.

The June 4 ceremony reflected that shift clearly: in Kootenai County, apprenticeship is not a sideline to education. It is becoming one of the most direct routes from training to a paycheck, and more than 130 graduates just widened that lane.