Idaho

In rural communities across America, new and innovative ideas are emerging into new industries. Advancements in wind, solar, hydro and geothermal energy are creating new companies and career opportunities. In rural communities, however, a major hurdle to achieving a high wage job is the lack of the specific technical skills that employers in these developing industries are seeking.  In southern Idaho, the Applied Technology and Innovation Center is bridging this skills gap.

Officially dedicated in 2014, the College of Southern Idaho’s (CSI) Applied Technology and Innovation Center in Twin Falls was built with $4.4 million in assistance from EDA in 2011. With the location of several large multinational corporations in the region in recent years, CSI anticipates that this project will create nearly 500 high-skilled, high-wage jobs in the region.

This state-of-the-art, LEED certified facility provides training to meet the demand for local technicians in wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal energy; green construction; and the biofuel industry. The building itself is a learning laboratory. Many of the building’s green energy components, such as exposed mechanical systems, measurement and verification equipment, solar photovoltaic and wind energy components, day lighting, natural ventilation, and geothermal heat, are utilized in the CSI curriculum.