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Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) is remodeling two former Whirlpool Corp. buildings that were transferred to the college when the appliance manufacturer shuttered its Newton operations in 2006. The two connected buildings, which will be known as the Jasper County Career Academy, cover approximately 40,000 square feet and are adjacent to DMACC’s existing Newton campus. Whirlpool also awarded DMACC $600,000 to help transform the buildings into educational facilities.

Mary Entz, the Newton campus provost, said the facility will be modeled after the Story County Career Academy in Ames, which targets high school juniors and seniors.

“It’s a career and technical academy for students who are currently juniors and seniors in high school,” Entz said. “They will be earning dual credit – high school and college credit. We don’t have our final lineup done just yet, but we are looking at things that are certainly technical, such as welding, building trades and auto tech.” Entz said the academy also hopes to provide culinary courses as well as information technology and criminal justice classes.

“It’s a great opportunity for students who know what they want to do and for students who really aren’t sure,” Entz said.

Once complete next fall, the career academy will have cost nearly $4 million and will be able to enroll approximately 150 high school students from the Baxter, Colfax-Mingo, Prairie City-Monroe, Newton and Lynnville-Sully school districts.