Norwood Technical College

What Norwood Technical College does

Northwood Technical College (dba Northwood Tech) is a two-year public technical college and a member of the 16-institution Wisconsin Technical College System, headquartered at 1900 College Drive in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Founded in 1912 and rebranded from Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in 2021, the college serves the largest geographic district in the WTCS — an 11-county region in northwest Wisconsin — through four main campuses (Ashland, New Richmond, Rice Lake, Superior), two outreach centers (Balsam Lake, Hayward), and a Health Education Center in Shell Lake. In fiscal year 2024 it enrolled more than 12,700 students (approximately 5,000 credit and 15,000 noncredit), produced over 1,800 full-time equivalents, and supported an instructional and administrative team of 391 full-time and 473 part-time staff.

The college's core offering is career-focused education across 60+ associate degree, technical diploma, and certificate programs spanning healthcare, manufacturing, skilled trades, business, IT, and public safety. Delivery blends on-campus instruction with online learning (via Ed2Go for continuing education), registered apprenticeships, dual-enrollment with K-12 partners, and proprietary mobile training labs (welding, mechatronics, and Wisconsin's first mobile dental lab). Technology infrastructure consists of a Microsoft-based MyCampus portal, Salesforce-powered admissions workflows, a Standardized Patients simulation program, and Virtual Reality training for advanced manufacturing; analytics run on Cognos and Power BI dashboards.

The revenue model is funded primarily by tuition and fees for credit programs, supplemented by noncredit continuing-education enrollment, customized business and workforce training, state appropriations through the WTCS outcomes-based funding formula, and competitive workforce grants — most notably a $9.82M HOMES Workforce Innovation Grant (2022) and a $1.2M RESTORE grant participation. Distribution is regional direct-to-consumer via the website (northwoodtech.edu), admissions advisors, Express Admissions events, high school dual-credit programs, veteran outreach, international student recruitment, and community events. A nine-member Board of Trustees appointed by county board chairpersons governs the institution, with Dr. John Will serving as President since September 2014.

Name

Norwood Technical College

Legal name

Northwood Technical College

Website

https://northwoodtech.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Northwood Technical College (Northwood Tech) is a public two-year technical college in northwest Wisconsin's 11-county district, serving 12,700+ students annually through 60+ career-focused programs, four campuses, two outreach centers, and mobile training labs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical and Vocational Education (Community College)

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Junior Colleges (61121), Junior Colleges (6112), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Technical and Trade Schools (61151)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Community Colleges (Applied/CTE-Focused) (EDAHADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Community Colleges (EDAHADAA), Rural/Regional Community Colleges (EDAHADAK), Junior Colleges (Associate-Degree Granting) (EDAHADAC), Public Career & Technical Education (CTE) Centers & Programs (EDAJAAAJ)

Keywords

• Technical college education
• Workforce training programs
• Associate degree programs
• Apprenticeship training
• Continuing education courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Rice Lake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Northwood Technical College generates primary revenue through student tuition and fees for credit programs (associate degrees, technical diplomas, certificates). Additional revenue streams include noncredit continuing education and workforce training programs, customized business training services, and grant funding (e.g., $9.8M HOMES Workforce Innovation Grant, $10M RESTORE Workforce Innovation Grant participation).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Northwood Technical College is a public two-year technical college delivering career-focused education through associate degrees, technical diplomas, and certificates across 60+ programs in healthcare, manufacturing, skilled trades, business, IT, and public safety. Instruction is delivered via on-campus, online (Ed2Go), apprenticeship, and mobile training lab formats, with customized workforce training for employers and GED/HSED preparation for adult learners. The college serves an 11-county district in northwest Wisconsin through four campuses, two outreach centers, and mobile labs.

Product overview

Northwood Technical College is a two-year public technical college offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational products and services. The institution provides career-focused associate degrees, technical diplomas, and certificates across 60+ programs in healthcare, business, IT, manufacturing, trades, and public safety. Training is delivered through multiple modalities including traditional on-campus instruction, online learning via Ed2Go, and innovative mobile training labs (welding, dental, advanced manufacturing) that bring hands-on education directly to communities. The college also offers customized business training, apprenticeship programs, digital badging, GED/HSED preparation, and workforce accelerator facilities. As part of the Wisconsin Technical College System serving an 11-county district, the institution emphasizes workforce development partnerships and serves approximately 5,000 credit students and 15,000 noncredit students annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Associate Degree Programs Two-year associate degree programs providing career-focused education across 60+ programs including nursing, business, IT, healthcare, manufacturing, and public safety fields.
• Technical Diplomas Short-term technical diploma programs providing focused career training in specialized trades and technical fields.
• Certificate Programs Certificate programs offering targeted skill development and credentialing for specific career pathways.
• GED & HSED Programs High School Equivalency Diploma preparation programs helping adults earn their GED or HSED credentials.
• Online Learning Flexible online course offerings powered by the Ed2Go platform, enabling remote access to continuing education and professional development courses.
• Apprenticeship Programs Registered apprenticeship programs combining on-the-job training with related instruction, including Plastic Injection Mold Apprenticeship and Mechatronics programs.
• Customized Business Training Tailored training programs developed in partnership with businesses to address specific workforce development needs, including leadership training and industry certifications.
• Mobile Welding Lab 53-foot mobile welding laboratory with eight individual welding booths providing hands-on training at locations throughout the district, enabling employers to upskill employees and reaching underserved communities.
• Mobile Dental Lab Wisconsin's first mobile dental laboratory bringing Dental Assistant and Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary (EFDA) training directly to rural communities across the 11-county district.
• Advanced Manufacturing Mechatronics Lab Industry 4.0 mobile manufacturing training equipment housed in a box truck providing mobile training opportunities throughout the district, including FANUC robotics and machine tool certifications.
• Continuing Education Courses Personal and career enrichment courses including life and leisure classes, driver education, real estate education, and professional development offerings.
• College Now Program High school partnership enabling students to start college-level coursework while still in high school, earning transcripted credit through Start College Now, Advanced Standing, and Transcripted Credit programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of Northwood Tech graduates are employed within six months of graduating
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 December 2023CVTC serves as the lead institution on the $10M RESTORE (Restoring Employment through Support, Training, Outreach, Recruitment and Education) Workforce Innovation Grant, with Northwood Tech as a sub-recipient. The partnership addresses workforce challenges in metal fabrication and maintenance across the northwest Wisconsin manufacturing sector.
• Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2022Primary funder of the HOMES Workforce Innovation Grant ($9,823,075 over three years) and the RESTORE grant ($1.2M sub-recipient funding). The DWD funds workforce training initiatives addressing manufacturing skill gaps and affordable housing in northwest Wisconsin.
• Impact Seven, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2022Northwood Tech partnered with Impact Seven, Inc. on the $9.8M Housing Opportunity and Mobile Education Solutions (HOMES) Workforce Innovation Grant. Impact Seven serves as the housing development partner, providing a $6M workforce housing fund and establishing affordable workforce housing sites with on-site training space in St. Croix Falls, Hayward, and Hurley. Northwood Tech contributes $3.8M for mobile manufacturing equipment and training costs.
• St. Croix Central School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthwood Tech partnered with St. Croix Central High School to establish the St. Croix Manufacturing Skills Center, providing advanced manufacturing training and workforce solutions for the region through the RESTORE grant. The partnership includes dual credit opportunities and apprenticeship programs.
• Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWEDC funded the $10M Workforce Innovation Grant initiative as part of which Northwood Tech participates, focusing on manufacturing workforce development in northwest Wisconsin.
• Enbridge Energy / Cenovus Superior RefineryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnbridge Energy and Cenovus Superior Refinery jointly donated $90,000 toward the purchase of a generator to power Northwood Tech's new mobile welding lab, enabling mobile welding training throughout the district.
• St. Croix Chippewa Indians of WisconsinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthwood Tech partnered with St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin to deliver mobile welding training to tribal community members, celebrating the inaugural class of six graduates who earned their Shielded Metal Arc Technical Diploma.
• Clarus CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClarus Corporation was hired in 2020 to conduct market research and branding research for the college's name change and rebranding initiative, engaging over 1,500 participants across stakeholder groups.
• Workforce Resource, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the RESTORE grant consortium, contributing to workforce development efforts in northwest Wisconsin alongside Northwood Tech, CVTC, and other regional partners.
• Western Wisconsin Workforce Development BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the RESTORE grant, supporting workforce development initiatives and connecting Northwood Tech with regional labor market needs.
• Momentum West Economic Development OrganizationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the RESTORE grant, contributing regional economic development expertise to workforce training initiatives.
• Manufacturing WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the RESTORE grant, representing manufacturing industry needs and connecting training programs with employer requirements.
• Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthwood Tech is one of 16 technical colleges that make up the Wisconsin Technical College System. The WTCS Board approved the college's name change to Northwood Technical College in March 2021 and oversees outcomes-based funding for the college.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fox Valley Technical College: One of the larger WTCS colleges (Appleton/Neenah, WI), offering a similar mix of associate degrees, technical diplomas, apprenticeships, and customized business training under the same Wisconsin state system.
• Mid-State Technical College: WTCS peer in central Wisconsin (Wisconsin Rapids) offering associate degrees, technical diplomas, and workforce training through multiple campuses — same state funding and accreditation model.
• Moraine Park Technical College: WTCS peer serving a comparable multi-county district in central Wisconsin with the same public-technical-college funding model, programmatic accreditations, and workforce development mandate.
• Western Technical College: WTCS peer in La Crosse, WI, serving a comparable rural-adjacent western Wisconsin district with the same CTE-focused portfolio and WTCS outcomes-based funding mechanics.
• Chippewa Valley Technical College: Another Wisconsin Technical College System institution headquartered in Eau Claire, WI. Direct operational peer under the same WTCS governance and outcomes-based funding model; leads the $10M RESTORE grant in which Northwood Tech is a sub-recipient.
• Gateway Technical College: WTCS peer in Kenosha, WI, offering an overlapping portfolio of associate degrees, technical diplomas, apprenticeships, and customized business training under the same state system.
• Northeast Wisconsin Technical College: WTCS peer in Green Bay, WI, and one of the larger system colleges. Operates with the same state accreditation, outcomes-based funding, and CTE program mix as Northwood Tech.
• Lakeshore Technical College: Wisconsin Technical College System peer in Cleveland, WI, serving a similar rural/mixed region with comparable associate degree, technical diploma, and apprenticeship offerings under the same state funding and accreditation structure.

Regional players

• Hennepin Technical College: Minnesota State system technical college in Brooklyn Park/Edina, MN. Comparable two-year CTE institution offering associate degrees and diplomas in skilled trades, manufacturing, and healthcare, but serving a different geography.
• Lake Superior College: Minnesota State system community and technical college in Duluth, MN — directly across the state border from Northwood Tech's Superior campus. Offers an overlapping CTE program portfolio under a different state system.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/northwoodtech
• Facebookfacebook.com/NorthwoodTech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/northwood-technical-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/northwoodtech

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Norwood Technical College