Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education today awarded three $1 million competitive grants through the new Career Academy Incentive Fund. The grants are designed to help schools prepare more high school students for success in college, postsecondary training and the workforce. Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Indian Hills Community College and Waterloo Community Schools each won a $1 million grant to increase access to career academy programs in high-demand fields through new and expanded regional centers. EICC’s grant will be used to create a new regional center in De Witt to serve students from eight rural districts in eastern Iowa. Waterloo’s funds will be used to expand its career center, which serves seven surrounding school districts and three nonpublic schools. Indian Hills will establish a new regional center in Centerville for seven southern Iowa school districts. At these locations, students will have access to career and technical education programs in high-demand fields, including health care, advanced manufacturing, welding, engineering technology and agricultural sciences. The Career Academy Incentive Fund was established by a 2019 law that extends a statewide penny sales tax for school infrastructure, called Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE), through January 2051. More information on the Career Academy Incentive Fund is available on the Iowa Department of Education’s website.