| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-credit workforce training division of North Idaho College (NIC), a public community college; in-person, hybrid, self-study and online courses |
| Locations | Three Idaho sites: the Workforce Training Center in Post Falls, the Parker Technical Education Center in Rathdrum and NIC at Sandpoint; dental assisting meets on NIC’s Coeur d’Alene campus |
| Credentials | Course certificates, preparation for state and national exams, and state-approved apprenticeships; no college credit, though apprentices can apply their training toward NIC credit |
| Typical length | Two hours (forklift) to 8.5 months (medical assistant); apprenticeships up to four years |
| Accreditation | NIC is accredited by NWCCU, in good standing since probation ended in February 2026; this covers NIC’s credit programs, not non-credit courses |
| Federal aid | Generally not eligible; Idaho LAUNCH, Advanced Opportunities, WIOA, scholarships and payment plans are listed |
| Volume | 5,483 students and 8,038 class enrollments in 2025 (WTC figures) |
| Founded | Workforce Training Center opened October 1994; NIC founded 1933 |
| Facts checked | 8 October 2026 |
North Idaho College’s non-credit training center
The Workforce Training Center (WTC) is the non-credit side of North Idaho College, the public community college in Coeur d’Alene. It is not a separate school: it sells short career courses by the course and apprenticeship instruction by the year, open to the public with usually no admission, academic or residency requirements, and it runs custom training for local employers. It opened in October 1994 and is based in Post Falls; most trades training is at NIC’s Parker Technical Education Center in Rathdrum, and some health courses meet in Sandpoint. The WTC’s Fall 2026 catalog reports 5,483 students and 8,038 class enrollments in 2025. North Idaho College also offers credit nursing and career-technical programs, which this page does not cover.
Workforce Training Center programs and Fall 2026 prices
The table lists the WTC’s main career courses and apprenticeships from its Fall 2026 catalog and program pages, checked on 8 October 2026. Prices are per person (apprenticeships per year) as the catalog lists them; Idaho’s eligible-training-provider list shows slightly different prices for some courses, so confirm the current price with the WTC before registering.
| Program | Length | Where | Leads to | Price (Fall 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Nursing Assistant | 13 sessions plus clinicals; classes start most months | Post Falls, Sandpoint and outreach sections | Idaho Nurse Aide Registry state exams | $1,150 |
| Phlebotomy Technician | 130 hours, 25 sessions, 65 draws | Post Falls; Sandpoint | Optional 100-hour externship for ASCP certification | $1,889 |
| Medical Assistant | About 8.5 months: 65 sessions and a 160-hour externship | Sandpoint; Post Falls | NHA CCMA exam | $4,195 |
| Dental Assistant | 43 sessions, January to May | NIC Coeur d’Alene campus | AMT Registered Dental Assistant exam | $3,995 |
| Pharmacy Technician | 13 weeks, including 128 hours in a local pharmacy | Ask the WTC | PTCB CPhT exam | $2,795 (Idaho training-provider list) |
| EMT | January to May | Post Falls; northern section for Bonner and Boundary counties | NREMT exam eligibility; BLS card | $2,995 |
| Firefighter 1 Academy | 52 sessions, January to May 2027 | Coeur d’Alene Fire Station #2 | IFSAC Firefighter I | $2,995 |
| CDL Class A | About 4 weeks: online theory, then up to 15 weekdays of skills | Parker TEC, Rathdrum | Idaho CDL skills test; hazmat theory | $4,595 |
| Electrical apprenticeship | 4 years, 144 hours a year plus 8,000 work hours | Post Falls | Idaho Electrical Journeyman exam | $1,950 a year |
| Plumbing apprenticeship | 4 years, 144 hours a year plus 8,000 work hours | Parker TEC, Rathdrum; online | Idaho Plumbing Journeyman exam | $1,950 a year |
| HVAC apprenticeship | 4 years, 144 hours a year plus 8,000 work hours | Parker TEC, Rathdrum; online | Idaho HVAC Journeyman exam | $1,950 a year |
| Construction apprenticeship | 4 years, 160 hours a year plus 6,000 to 8,000 work hours | Parker TEC, Rathdrum | Apprenticeship completion | $3,495 a year |
| Heavy Equipment Operator apprenticeship | 3 years, 176 hours a year | Parker TEC, Rathdrum | Apprenticeship completion | $5,695 a year |
The WTC also runs short courses that lead to no named credential, including welding (Intro to MIG, Stick and TIG at $499 each, Thermal Cutting, and Applied Welding and Project Fabrication) and gunsmithing. Other offerings include MSHA New Miner Training with the federal 5000-23 certificate, two-hour forklift certification, the 90-hour Idaho real estate salesperson prelicense, Certified Restorative Assistant, and a separate online Plumbing Appliance Specialty course for the Idaho appliance specialty license. A new Aircraft Mechanic (A&P) apprenticeship ($1,950 a year) has been announced without a start date. Medical office, EKG, paralegal, project management, computer and accounting courses are online courses from third-party providers.
What the main programs cover
Class A CDL
The course starts with 30 to 40 hours of self-paced online theory, covering Class A and hazmat theory under the federal entry-level driver training rules, and a one- to two-hour orientation. Then come up to 15 weekdays of skills training of about eight hours a day at the Parker Technical Education Center, ending in the Idaho skills test in an NIC truck. Students must hold a commercial learner’s permit before training starts, be Idaho residents with a three-year clean driving record, and be 18 for driving within Idaho or 21 for interstate work.
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC apprenticeships
All three are four-year, state-approved apprenticeships: 144 hours a year of related instruction, about 16 hours a month, taken while working under a journeyman and logging 8,000 hours on the job. Apprentices need a sponsoring employer and register with Idaho’s Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL). Electrical and plumbing take apprentices from 16, HVAC from 18. Electrical classes are in person in Post Falls and require full attendance; plumbing and HVAC also offer an online section from October to May. Each prepares apprentices for the Idaho journeyman exam for that trade.
Construction and heavy equipment
The Construction apprenticeship runs four years at the Parker Technical Education Center, with 160 hours of related instruction a year between October and April: Year 1 on Fridays from 8 to 4 and Year 3 on Monday evenings. The Heavy Equipment Operator apprenticeship takes three years of 176 instruction hours a year, on Fridays, and its first year includes a CORE pre-apprenticeship. Both need a sponsoring employer, and neither names a credential beyond completing the apprenticeship. A separate five-week Heavy Equipment program, grant-funded, is planned for spring 2027.
CNA and phlebotomy
The CNA course is 13 sessions of class and skills practice followed by clinical hours at local care facilities, and sections run in Post Falls, Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry, the Silver Valley and St. Maries. Students then take the state exams for the Idaho Nurse Aide Registry. Phlebotomy is 130 hours over 25 sessions, with 65 venipunctures required; the fall 2026 Post Falls class meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturdays. The course includes no exam, so students aiming for ASCP certification also complete an optional 100-hour externship.
Medical and dental assisting
Medical Assistant runs about 8.5 months: 65 sessions on Monday and Tuesday evenings from 5 to 9 pm, then a 160-hour externship, preparing students aged 18 and over for the NHA CCMA exam. Dental Assistant is 43 sessions between mid-January and early May on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Friday mornings at NIC’s Coeur d’Alene campus, preparing students for the AMT Registered Dental Assistant exam. Both have apprenticeship versions for students already working in a clinic or dental office, which supplies a workplace preceptor; the dental apprenticeship’s classes are held on Zoom.
EMT and Firefighter I
The EMT course runs January to May; the Post Falls section is taught by Coeur d’Alene firefighters, and a second section serves Bonner and Boundary counties. Graduates are eligible to test for the National Registry from age 18, and a separate psychomotor exam can be booked through the WTC. The Firefighter 1 Academy is 52 sessions at Coeur d’Alene Fire Station #2, Tuesday and Thursday evenings plus Saturdays from 8 to 5, between January and May 2027. Entry is by application, and it ends in IFSAC Firefighter I testing.
Prices and how WTC students pay
WTC courses are priced per course, and apprenticeships per year; NIC’s credit tuition rates do not apply. In the Fall 2026 catalog, career courses run from $69 for a BLS card and $129 for forklift certification to $4,195 for Medical Assistant and $4,595 for CDL Class A. Apprenticeships cost $1,950 a year for electrical, plumbing, HVAC and aircraft mechanic, $3,495 for construction and $5,695 for heavy equipment. Out-of-state students pay the same price as Idaho residents, though CDL training requires Idaho residency. The CDL price includes the DOT physical, drug screen, hazmat theory and the first Idaho skills test, but not the learner’s permit, license fees or retests.
The WTC does not present its courses as eligible for federal student aid, and its catalog does not mention Pell Grants or the FAFSA. It lists these ways to pay instead:
- Idaho LAUNCH: for Idaho residents, up to 80% of approved course costs, capped at $3,500, according to the Fall 2026 catalog.
- Advanced Opportunities: up to $4,625 for Idaho high school students toward approved workforce courses.
- WIOA: 34 WTC programs are on Idaho’s eligible-training-provider list.
- Employer sponsorship: local care facilities and the Idaho State Veterans Home in Post Falls typically sponsor CNA students.
- Other: NIC Foundation scholarships (amounts not published), payment plans (the apprenticeship plan takes a $350 refundable deposit and a $60 setup fee) and Sallie Mae private loans.
Students using VA benefits must submit prior transcripts and military training records; which WTC programs are approved for GI Bill benefits is not stated, so ask before counting on them.
Registration, age limits and schedules
Most courses have open registration, usually with no admission, academic or residency requirements. Students register online, by phone or email, or in person in Post Falls, Sandpoint or at Lee-Kildow Hall on NIC’s Coeur d’Alene campus. Some programs set their own limits: electrical and plumbing apprentices must be 16, HVAC apprentices 18, and medical assistant and EMT students 18 to sit their exams; CDL students need a learner’s permit, Idaho residency and a clean three-year record; the Firefighter 1 Academy takes applications. CNA clinicals require a two-step TB test, a seasonal flu shot and a COVID vaccination or exemption.
Most classes are in the evening or on Saturdays: health courses usually 5 to 9 pm, apprenticeship classes about 16 hours a month from September to May, and welding 6 to 9 pm. CDL skills training is full time on weekdays, and many business and computer courses are self-paced online. For a full refund, notify the Post Falls business office at least five full business days before the first class; there is no refund after that, and if NIC cancels a class, students get a refund, a transfer or a voucher.
Accreditation and results
North Idaho College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), which it has held since 1947, according to NIC. NWCCU placed NIC on show cause in February 2023 over the governance of its board of trustees, reduced the sanction to probation in February 2025, and in a letter of 9 February 2026 ended the probation and returned NIC’s accreditation to good standing. The sanctions concerned the board, not the WTC’s teaching. NWCCU accreditation covers NIC’s credit programs; WTC courses are non-credit. The apprenticeships are state-approved, and the CDL course is on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry.
The WTC reports a 90% student completion rate for 2025, from 5,483 students and 8,038 class enrollments, but we found no published definition of that rate. NIC reported a 90.2% completion rate for its trades apprenticeships in 2024-25, against an Idaho rate of 71.86% that it attributes to the US Department of Labor. At the June 2026 apprenticeship graduation, more than 130 apprentices finished from a class of over 200. We found no published pass rates for the NREMT, Idaho Nurse Aide Registry, CCMA, RDA, PTCB, Firefighter I, journeyman or CDL exams, and no published job placement rates.
Where classes meet
The Workforce Training Center building at 525 S. Clearwater Loop in Post Falls is the main site, with registration, the electrical apprenticeship and many health courses. Trades training (CDL, the plumbing, construction and heavy equipment apprenticeships, welding and forklift) is at the Parker Technical Education Center, 7064 W. Lancaster Road in Rathdrum; NIC’s HVAC page places HVAC apprenticeship classes there too. NIC at Sandpoint, 515 Pine St., hosts medical assistant, phlebotomy and CNA sections. Dental assisting meets on NIC’s Coeur d’Alene campus and the Firefighter 1 Academy at Coeur d’Alene Fire Station #2. Some welding classes use a partner shop and Kellogg High School, and CNA sections also run in Bonners Ferry, the Silver Valley and St. Maries.
Before you enroll
- These are non-credit courses. They earn no college credit and are generally not eligible for federal student aid. Apprentices are the exception on credit: NIC says that after the apprenticeship, about five more NIC classes can lead to an Associate of Applied Science, and it offered each 2026 graduate a $1,000 scholarship to continue.
- An apprenticeship needs a job first. Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and construction apprentices must be working for a sponsoring employer, in the licensed trades under a journeyman. The WTC teaches the classroom part, and NIC’s electrical page says apprentices must find their own journeyman-supervised work.
- The CDL price is not the whole cost. Students need a commercial learner’s permit before training, pay permit and license fees and any retests themselves, and must be Idaho residents with a clean three-year driving record.
- Not every health course ends in certification. Phlebotomy includes no exam, and ASCP certification needs the optional 100-hour externship; the medical assistant course claims no CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation.
- Prices vary by source. The Fall 2026 catalog and Idaho’s training-provider list disagree on several prices (CNA is $1,150 in the catalog and $1,250 on the list), so confirm the price before paying.
Career help and training for employers
The WTC runs customized training for local employers, and its CNA, medical assistant and dental assistant apprenticeships are built around employer sponsorship. The CNA page lists local employers. No job placement service is described, and the electrical page says apprentices must find their own journeyman-supervised work.
Sources
Checked 8 October 2026: NIC Workforce Training Center · Fall 2026 WTC catalog (PDF) · NIC catalog: Workforce Training · Apprenticeships · CDL Class A · Health Careers · Idaho eligible-training-provider list · NIC accreditation update, February 2026
Programs & Courses
Apprenticeships
- Electrical Apprenticeship (4 years)
- Plumbing Apprenticeship (4 years; in person or online)
- HVAC Apprenticeship (4 years; in person or online)
- Construction Apprenticeship (4 years)
- Heavy Equipment Operator Apprenticeship (3 years)
- Logging Equipment Operator Apprenticeship
- Aircraft Mechanic (A&P) Apprenticeship (new)
- Plumbing Appliance Specialty (online; separate Idaho license)
- CNA, Medical Assistant and Dental Assistant apprenticeships (employer-sponsored)
Healthcare
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- Phlebotomy Technician (130 hours)
- Medical Assistant (8.5 months, 160-hour externship)
- Dental Assistant
- Dental Assistant: Expanded Functions
- Pharmacy Technician (13 weeks)
- Certified Restorative Assistant
- Certified Patient Care Technician; Health Unit Coordinator
- Assistance with Medications; IV Therapy; Dementia Workshop; Mentor Specialist
Emergency services
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Psychomotor EMT exam
- Firefighter 1 Academy
- BLS Provider; Wilderness First Aid
Trades and industry
- CDL Class A Entry-Level Driver Training
- CDL Hazmat Endorsement Theory (online)
- Heavy Equipment five-week program (grant-funded)
- Welding short courses: Intro to MIG, Stick and TIG; Thermal Cutting; Applied Welding and Project Fabrication
- Gunsmithing short courses
- MSHA New Miner Training (surface, underground, annual refresher)
- Forklift Operator Certification
- Online safety training subscription
Real estate and business
- Idaho Real Estate Salesperson Prelicense, Modules 1 and 2 (90 hours)
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
- Supervisory Skills; Management Training; leadership workshops
Online partner courses (third-party providers)
- Medical Office (CMAA with billing and coding); EKG Technician
- Paralegal Certificate; Advanced Paralegal Certificate
- Project management and digital marketing certificates; accounting and QuickBooks courses
- CompTIA A+/Network+/CCNA bundle; AutoCAD; Revit; coding and data courses
Campus Locations
Coeur d'Alene (Post Falls), ID 525 S. Clearwater Loop, Post Falls, ID 83854
Coeur d'Alene (Rathdrum), ID 7064 W. Lancaster Road, Rathdrum, ID 83858
Sandpoint, ID 515 Pine St., Suite G, Sandpoint, ID 83864