Flying High
Posted: Tuesday, Aug 26, 2025
North Idaho College has been selected to advance in a competitive national process to help develop the future aerospace and defense workforce as part of NASA’s Aerospace State Hubs for Skilled Technical Workforce Initiative.
NIC, in collaboration with the Coeur d’Alene Area Economic Development Corporation and the regional Aerospace Tech Hub, was named among 15 organizations invited to submit a concept paper to NASA. The initiative seeks to address a projected shortage of 1 million aerospace and defense workers by 2030 by building stronger education-to-workforce pathways.
“Being part of this next phase with NASA demonstrates that North Idaho College is positioned as a critical player in preparing students for high-demand technical careers,” NIC President Nick Swayne said. “This recognition validates the quality of our academic and workforce training programs while opening new opportunities for students in our region.”
NIC this fall opened an Airframe and PowerPlant Mechanic Apprenticeship that provides hands-on training in aviationmaintenance at its Workforce Training Center in Post Falls.
The college and its partners will now work with a NASA liaison to shape a concept paper due Sept. 17. Selected hubs will convene stakeholders, submit plans, and participate in the NASA STEM Workforce Summit at Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Fla., Sept. 23-25.
NASA is working with its business partner, Guardians of Honor (GOH), to inform future work. GOH released a Request for Statements of Interest to support the development of Hub concept papers. GOH selected organizations, including NIC, Johns Hopkins University, Space Florida, the Greater New Orleans Development Foundation and others, to submit concept papers. GOH will reimburse development costs of concept papers up to $25,000.
Colby Mattila, NIC’s Executive Director of Workforce and Economic Development who will attend the summit, said the opportunity highlights how NIC connects students to careers.
“This is about building bridges from high school through college and into the aerospace workforce,” said Mattila, adding that program expansion could be among the possible results if NIC’s concept advances. “It’s a chance to show that North Idaho has the talent and partnerships to meet national needs.”
Participation in the hub effort builds on NIC’s strong track record of collaboration with local industries, economic development groups, and higher education institutions, including the University of Idaho’s NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium.
If selected to continue beyond the concept stage, NIC and its partners would play a central role in developing models that link technical education to aerospace and defense jobs, ensuring students in North Idaho and the region are part of the next generation of innovators.
A continuously growing engineering and skilled technical workforce is needed to support the expanding aerospace economy and the nation's renewed focus on human space exploration. Demand for STEM professionals and skilled technical workers is rapidly increasing, while the labor pool is shrinking due to aging workforce, educational barriers to entry (cost of a four-year degree) and lack of awareness of career pathways.
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