Mount Ayr partners with SWCC for new CTE program

MOUNT AYR — Ringgold County teens will soon have easier access to SWCC resources with the addition of a new Career and Technical Education Training Center.

The new center, scheduled to open for the fall 2026 semester, will provide students access to programs such as automotive repair technology, welding technology, nurse assisting and education.

Planning for this center first began a few years back when Southwestern Community College and the Mount Ayr School District applied for and received a $1 million Career Academy Incentive Fund grant from the Iowa Department of Education.

Also working with the Ringgold County Development Corporation, the original plan was to create a community center in Mount Ayr that included classroom space and an indoor pool. However, Mount Ayr High School Principal Josh Vanderflught said the opening of the new outdoor pool in town changed things.

“That kind of killed the community center plan here. The last couple years, we’ve been speaking with SWCC about building it here on our campus,” Vanderflught said. “We’ve been working with architects and the SWCC folks to coordinate building that and it will kind of be a regional CTE hub, so all the other districts have committed to send students to us.”

The other school districts that will utilize this space include Bedford, Central Decatur, Diagonal and Lamoni.

Students will be able to concurrently earn high school and college credits through the CTE classes, something that was previously difficult for Mount Ayr students to do.

“I was a principal at East Union for a couple years before I came down here, and those kids have a great location. They just go to SWCC, they have all the CTE academies on the Creston campus, but Mount Ayr, we’re just a little bit too far out,” Vanderflught said. “We have a handful of kids that in their senior year have a little bit of wiggle room in their schedule to get them up there for something, but for the most part, we’re relying on what we can do in-house with our people.”

While Iowa students of any age can participate in CTE classes, Vanderflught said the way courses are set up in Mount Ayr means primarily upperclassmen will utilize the new program. Since most SWCC programs are two-year pathways, students who begin taking CTE classes their junior year can complete most if not all of a SWCC degree.

The hope is that by providing these learning opportunities in town, more students will decide to pursue careers in Southwest Iowa.

“Like every small community, we’re hoping to keep as many of our graduates in the area as we can to keep us thriving,” Vanderflught said. “We’re hoping that it stimulates that and gives some opportunities to build the workforce and give the current businesses people that are qualified to work, but also give our kids a leg up to have some industry-recognized credentials when they graduate.”

If the program proves successful, adult education programs may be integrated into the new building as well.

The total project is estimated to cost about $3.8 million. Alongside the $1 million CAIF grant, the project has also has a $500,000 DEKKO grant and $685,000 Economic Development Administration grant to cover machinery. Vanderflught said the school district is actively applying for a $50,000 Iowa STEM BEST grant to apply toward the project.

With an extra $1 million being contributed by the Mount Ayr School District, the remaining cost will be covered by private donors. The Mount Ayr School District will own and operate the facility, with all programming being administered through SWCC’s annual Educational Services Contract agreements.

Ground was officially broken on the project Monday, Oct. 27 by representatives from Mount Ayr, SWCC and Ringgold County Development Corporation. There should be substantial completion of the project by April 2026, with the career academy opening in August 2026 for the fall semester.

“It’s a great opportunity to bring people in from the surrounding areas and give kids in these rural areas a little more access,” Vanderflught said. “We’re really excited to be able to offer these programs.”