The Plymouth-based Marshall County Career Innovation Center has been named the 2025 Non-Metropolitan QLICI of the Year.
The goal of the center is to provide residents of Plymouth and nearby cities with access to career technical education programs and employer-driven training. It aims to prepare students and low-skilled adults for high-demand career pathways. The center will help empower thousands of students and adults across 10 rural school districts.
The center operates in partnership with the North Central CTE Cooperative. It offers two-year programs for high school juniors and seniors that deliver hands-on learning, industry certifications, post-secondary credits and work-based experience. When fully operational, the center will serve 1,730 students annually—60% of whom are from low-income household. It will equip them with the academic, technical and employability skills for high-demand careers.
The project is projected to lead to more than 200 job placements and 100 educational advancements annually. The facility will also house a 32-seat childcare center, offered at a subsidized rate for students and faculty.
The project received a $1.8 million READI grant from the state of Indiana, and required new construction funding of at least $8.8 million. The local government provided the required matching funds for this award.
Marshall County Career Innovation Center was introduced to NMTCs as a potential financing source for its financing shortfall of nearly $3 million. Without the $9.8 million in total QLICIs from Fort Wayne New Markets Revitalization Fund and Cinnaire, Marshall County CIC would have been forced to scale back the project's scope, such as postponing its childcare center or reducing the number of courses offered to students.
