The Career Impact Academy will be a collaborative partnership that includes:
High schoolers participating in the Career Impact Academy will be able to complete their high school diploma and obtain credentials or credits toward a college degree. Academy training pathways will be open for 11th and 12th grade students.
Participating post-secondary institutions can provide training pathways, certifications, and degree programs for adult learners. In many cases instructors for college courses will also be able to provide training to high school learners.
Private sector employers will be able to interface with learners to foster career exploration and awareness of regional career opportunity. The Career Impact Academy will also provide space for employers to retrain, recertify, or upskill current employees.
We envision the Career Impact Academy to be a community hub with space for activities, community events, and continuing education. This facility will be an asset to our region, and a testament to our future.
A Career Impact Academy would allow learners to explore high-wage, local career fields, and even earn certifications or college credit without burdening them with student debt. We all want Grand Forks to grow, so introducing learners to regional industry and colleges helps strengthen our workforce pipelines. Areas throughout the nation are experiencing a shortage of workers, and Grand Forks wants to get ahead of the curve.
The Career Impact Academy programming committee is working with educational partners at the secondary and post-secondary levels to determine programming tracks that will be offered for both high school and adult learners. Each programming track will be determined by student interest, regional industry need, and post-secondary alignment. These are the programs being considered, and may not reflect the final programs available:
The North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education is offering each community in North Dakota up to $10M to establish or expand career and technical education centers. Funds stem from Federal CARES Act dollars and likely will never be offered again. This level of support for capital expenses related to CTE has not been seen in over half a century. Up to $70M is available statewide, and Grand Forks intends to raise $10M in matching dollars from public and private partners.
One of the primary questions raised regarding the Career Impact Academy is the sustainability of the facility. While funding to build CTE Centers hasn’t been available in more than half a century, the North Dakota Department of CTE does provide exceptional support to CTE programming and reimburses 40% of program costs including instructor salaries, benefits, supplies, and travel expenses. In addition, that reimbursement percentage increases for each school district participating (i.e. enrolling students) in individual CTE program offerings. Therefore, on average, at least 50% of the ongoing costs of operating the center (staff, supplies, travel) is being provided by the state on an on-going basis.
Speaking of teachers, Grand Forks Public Schools currently employs high quality CTE instructors within the majority of the proposed programs being envisioned for the Career Impact Academy. The staffing levels needed for the Academy, if all programs are offered, is projected to be 16 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff members. Grand Forks Public Schools already employs 12 of the needed 16 FTEs. These staff are currently providing CTE courses at Red River and GF Central High School. The vision is to relocate those 12 existing staff members into the Career Impact Academy, resulting in the need to only hire 4 additional FTEs to cover all proposed programs.
Following the funding model of the successful virtual Grand Forks Area Career & Technology Center (GFACTC), all member school districts, including Central Valley, Thompson, Hatton, Northwood, Larimore, Hillsboro, May-Port CG, and Grand Forks contribute membership fees each year to have access to the online courses. A similar funding model will be determined between the participating schools of the Career Impact Academy to cover the local share of the programming costs. Program equipment needs are addressed through the combination of the Federal Carl D. Perkins funding, in-kind contributions from industry, and relocating existing equipment over to the Career Impact Academy.
The Career Impact Academy also has many opportunities for revenue streams that aren’t available to a traditional K-12 building, which would contribute to ongoing operational costs. Adult education programs and employee retraining that happen after 9-3 would provide opportunities for revenue from area employers who want to use the facility. Additionally partnering post-secondary institutions will also be able to teach coursework out of the Academy, providing ongoing financial support. There are also many opportunities for revenue from other spaces within the Academy, such as a rentable commercial kitchen space or a community event room.
Contributions can be cash or in-kind support and are tax-deductible. If you are interested in supporting financially, contact Keith Lund, KeithL@grandforks.org or 701.746.2722.
We also value champions who can help spread the word about the Career Impact Academy. Talk to your employer about the importance of supporting this, and connect with the school district or EDC to provide your feedback. Consider following the EDC’s or the Grand Forks Public School District’s social media and share news about the Career Impact Academy with your network.
Todd Feland
City of Grand Forks
Keith Lund
Grand Forks Region EDC
Becca Cruger
Grand Forks Region EDC
Barry Wilfarht
Chamber of GF/EGF
Tom Ford
Grand Forks County
Terry Brenner
Grand Forks Public Schools
Eric Ripley
Grand Forks Public Schools
Catherine Gillach
Grand Forks Public Schools
John Maus
Thompson Public Schools
Brian Huschle
Northland Community College
Doug Darling
Lake Region State College
Jeff Holm
University of North Dakota
Amy Whitney
University of North Dakota
John Oncken
True North Equipment
Josh Anderson
True North Equipment
Shari Elgin
Construction Engineers
Kellee Fisk
Altru Health System
Phil Kraemer
Lunseth Plumbing & Heating
Nicky Cappon
Northrop Grumman
Josh Reidy
Airtonomy
| Company | Amount |
|---|---|
| City of Grand Forks | $2,180,350 |
| Grand Forks Public School District | $1,500,000 |
| Altru Health System | $1,000,000 |
| Sanford Health | $1,000,000 |
| Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation | $500,000 |
| Grand Forks County | $400,000 |
| Core Scientific | $250,000 |
| Edgewood Healthcare | $250,000 |
| Grand Forks Area Career & Technology Center Member Schools | $200,000 |
| J.R. Simplot Company | $150,000 |
| Rydell GM Auto | $150,000 |
| Acme Tools | $125,000 |
| Hal & Kathleen Gershman Family Foundation/Harry's Steakhouse | $125,000 |
| Lunseth Plubming and Heating | $125,000 |
| Bergstrom Electric | $100,000 |
| Construction Engineers | $100,000 |
| Custom Aire | $100,000 |
| Forum Communications | $100,000 |
| Jim & Marydale Hansen | $100,000 |
| JLG Architects | $100,000 |
| Johnson Controls (JCI) | $100,000 |
| Minnkota Power Cooperative | $100,000 |
| Northridge Construction | $100,000 |
| PCL Community Contractors Inc. | $100,000 |
| Simonson Station Stores, Inc. | $100,000 |
| True North Equipment | $100,000 |
| Valley Senior Living | $100,000 |
| AE2S | $75,000 |
| C.L. Linfoot | $75,000 |
| Northern Tier Seed | $60,000 |
| Advanced Business Methods | $50,000 |
| Alerus Financial | $50,000 |
| Bears Home Solutions | $50,000 |
| Brady Martz | $50,000 |
| Choice Bank | $50,000 |
| Cirrus Aircraft | $50,000 |
| Crary Real Estate | $50,000 |
| Dakota CommercialÊ | $50,000 |
| Development Homes | $50,000 |
| Ideal Aerosmith | $50,000 |
| Kost Materials | $50,000 |
| Lunn family | $50,000 |
| Nodak Electric Cooperative | $50,000 |
| Northern Plumbing Supply | $50,000 |
| Opp Construction | $50,000 |
| Pro Transport & Leasing | $50,000 |
| RDO Equipment Co. | $50,000 |
| RJ Zavoral & Sons | $50,000 |
| Steffes Corporation | $50,000 |
| Vilandre | $50,000 |
| Hugo's Marketplace | $30,000 |
| Lumber Mart, Inc. | $30,000 |
| Bremer Bank | $25,000 |
| Dakota Sales Co., Inc. | $25,000 |
| Forx Builders Association | $25,000 |
| Fusion Automation | $25,000 |
| Grand Forks/East Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce | $25,000 |
| Greenberg Realty | $25,000 |
| Knight Foundation Donor-Advised Fund at the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks & Region | $25,000 |
| Midco | $25,000 |
| North Dakota Eye Clinic | $25,000 |
| Retrax | $25,000 |
| Strata Corporation | $25,000 |
| Webster, Foster, & Weston | $25,000 |
| RDO Truck Centers | $20,000 |
| Bolton & Menk, Inc. | $15,000 |
| Sterling Carpet One | $15,000 |
| Widseth | $15,000 |
| Anderson Steel Erection & Crane Service, Inc. | $10,000 |
| Butler Machinery Company | $10,000 |
| CPS, Ltd. | $10,000 |
| EAPC Architects Engineers | $10,000 |
| Houston Engineering, Inc. | $10,000 |
| Jeff & Janell Regimbal | $10,000 |
| Northstar Insulation | $10,000 |
| Skinner Roofing | $10,000 |
| UND Foundation | $10,000 |
| Industrial Contract Services | $7,500 |
| Tecta America Dakotas | $5,000 |
| Dub Construction | $2,000 |
| Goodin Company Foundation | $1,000 |
| TOTAL | $10,945,850 |