National College already serves 24 communities throughout the U.S., including Dayton and Cincinnati.

Now it comes to Youngstown, and local leaders say one small new school benefits the entire area.  Mandy Hackman has that story.

With one snip of the ribbon, the Youngstown Campus of National College celebrates its grand opening in Liberty Township right off Belmont Avenue.

"We're very excited and very pleased with the progress we've made in the relatively short time we've been here in Youngstown, National College Regional Director of Operations Gregory Shields said.

Classes started in September, and already more than 250 students have enrolled. The state-of-the-art facility will feature smaller classrooms, high-tech computers and hands on medical labs.  All to give students the edge in business, technology and health care fields.

"These are programs that are designed to meet the need of today's employers. These are fields that are in great demand, and our objective is to provide the specific skills training that our students need to advance their careers," Shields said.

Not to mention advancing the community.

"Whats good for Trumbull County is good for Mahoning County.  It's good for Liberty, so it's good for Youngstown," Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams said.

As you can imagine this Plaza Donuts has already benefited from having National College in the area, and local leaders hope that'll happen for other area businesses in the near future.

"I think the presence of National College is really gonna be a great anchor for attracting other businesses and new development here in Liberty Township," Sen. Capri Cafaro said.

"Any institution that provides citizens of Youngstown or Mahoning Valley an opportunity to improve or increase their educational skills is good for the entire community," Williams said.

Summer classes start in June, and soon students can enroll for the fall, making National College a part of the community.

Students earn credits to get their associates degrees. 

To learn more about enrollment and classes, visit wkbn.com and click on links and then National College.