Prairie Public NewsRoom
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

BSC outlines its plans for a new 'polytechnic education center'

Gov. Doug Burgum speaks at BSC's polytechnic plan unveiling
Dave Thompson, Prairie Public
Gov. Doug Burgum speaks at BSC's polytechnic plan unveiling

Bismarck State College is outlining its plans for a new polytechnic education center.

During its November special session, the Legislature approved appropriating $38 million in American Recovery Plan Act money to the new center.

"The state-of-the-art polytechnic center will feature non-traditional, hands-on, collaborative working environments, flex-labs where industry and business can partner on developing projects and ideas, space for collaboration with industry partners to operate and to build new programming, new equipment, and to advance applied research in that area," said BSC President Doug Jensen. "Students will be experiencing hands-on projects that they will be involved in, as they move forward."

Gov. Doug Burgum said education has to be more responsive to workforce needs, and more responsive to signals from the private sector.

"If the private sector is sending signals that we need more nurses, we need more power plant operators, we need more folks that understand advanced material science, we need more UAS operators — you name all the fields we have, and we need schools who are helping provide those career paths for our young people," Burgum said.

BSC plans to break ground on the new building in 2022, with a completion date of 2024.

Related Content