Inside Grand Forks’ Career Impact Academy
On August 14th, 2025, Grand Forks Public Schools celebrated the grand opening of the Grand Forks Career Impact Academy. Years in the making, this project started with a question to students – “What do you want out of this new facility?” Overwhelmingly, their charge was to create a building that didn’t feel like a traditional school. They wanted a building that supports their interests and creates opportunities to explore in an environment that celebrates learning over home-school identity. Now, with the doors of the new Grand Forks Career Impact Academy open, students from Grand Forks, ND, and surrounding communities get to see their vision come to life within a destination for real-life, hands-on discovery.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
The Grand Forks Career Impact Academy (CIA) is the product of the state of North Dakota, Grand Forks Public Schools, and overwhelming support from local businesses and community members coming together to create hands-on education that is transforming the way we live, learn, and ultimately, do business.
In 2022, the North Dakota Career and Technical Education Board approved millions in grant funding for statewide CTE projects that align workforce needs with student interests. Within a span of 72 days, more than $11 million was raised from private donations to qualify for a $10 million state match that supported the vision of GFPS.
JLG Architects and BNDRY Studio assisted the Grand Forks Public School District in preparing their grant application and completing preliminary design concepts. Programming for the Career Impact Academy was identified through a needs assessment with participation from the school districts, industry partners, economic development, and higher education institutions – helping align curriculum and programming with post-secondary opportunities as a key step in creating a pipeline to industries.
“The Economic Development Corporation and School District reached out to community partners to ask if they’d be willing to work as a team to get this thing across the finish line. It was an easy sell. Grand Forks did what it does best, put collaboration at the forefront of the proverbial boat and all rowed in the same direction.”
Keith Lund, President, Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation
ALL ARE WELCOME
Elevating an environment that celebrates learning over home-school identity, the Career Impact Academy is a place where all are welcome. Both high school and adult learner students will be able to earn industry certifications and relevant credentials in their respective fields of study. Beyond the students of Grand Forks, high school students of surrounding rural communities will also have access to academy programming.
“The design process was highly collaborative, with GFPS providing regular input to ensure that classroom and lab spaces met the unique requirements of CTE pathways like healthcare, skilled trades, culinary arts, IT, and more,” explained Eric Ripley, Executive Director of CTE for Grand Forks Public Schools. “The input from our industry partners, along with student feedback, played a critical role in shaping the vision, programming, and physical learning spaces to support technical training and academic growth — spaces where students can explore high-demand fields while developing real-world technical skills.”
Student success and achievement is celebrated through the display of student work and visibility into adjacent programs supporting cross-collaboration between fields within one building. In response, the placement of each program was strategically selected to provide opportunities for visibility, cross-discipline collaboration, and new and emerging technologies. Increased visibility gauges students’ interest early on, encourages teamwork, and gives new talent valuable experience that would cost most companies thousands to implement on their own.
“With the intentional focus of constructing a building with spaces designed specifically to provide the relevant, engaging, hands-on learning experiences synonymous with high-quality CTE programs, the Career Impact Academy reflects the career interests of both students and the regional workforce needs,” explained Ripley.
SUPPORTING THE VISION
The building embraces non-traditional learning environments, keeping with the vision set by students. When Grand Forks Public Schools asked industry partner Lunseth Plumbing & Heating Co. to join a steering committee, Phil Kraemer and his team suggested that “the trades “Classroom” would not look like a standard “sit-down desk” classroom but have plenty of space for mock-ups, hands-on projects, and workspace for students, instructors, and industry partners to demonstrate the skills necessary to pursue a career in the construction trades.”
Spaces at the Career Impact Academy encourage industry and community partner engagement and demand a more publicly engaged building. The building is organized around three axes connected by the “Hub,” a central space that welcomes students, community, and business partners into the building and provides space to support soft skill development.
Planning for the expansion of the Career Impact Academy was important to allow for strategic growth without impact to existing programming. This philosophy allows each program to flex, expanding or contracting as industry needs change and student interest increases. This was achieved in part through the integration of flexible lab space, shared program areas, and connections between labs and collaborative spaces that create direct access between spaces, extending the learning footprint beyond
the classroom.
“Working with JLG on the Career Impact Academy was a very positive experience; they understood the educational goals for the project and translated them into learning spaces that are flexible, intentional, and inspiring,” said Ripley. “We believe the Career Impact Academy will serve as a catalyst for student engagement and career readiness, while helping meet the future workforce needs of our region for generations to come.”
BEYOND SIMULATION
What do students really want out of this new facility? Meaningful opportunities to explore a variety of interests — shopping around, testing abilities, and taking steps toward a fulfilling career path. The Career Impact Academy goes beyond simulation to build the tangible and soft skills today’s employers desire. Whether a student or an adult exploring new career paths, ultimately, this is a place where people are allowed to change their mind, expand their interests, and steer their life in a whole new direction.
“We believe the Career Impact Academy will serve as a catalyst for student engagement and career readiness while helping meet the future workforce needs of our region for generations to come.”
Eric Ripley, Executive Director of CTE
