Dakota College at Bottineau is preparing to open a career academy in Minot.
But this is going to be different from other career and technical education centers, that target high school students.
"Our programs are targeted for anybody after high school, whether they be 18 or 68," said Dakota College dean Jerry Migler. "It doesn't really matter."
Migler said when you mention CTE, many people think of the trades – such as automotive or welding. But he said this is different.
"These are programs designed to put you in the workforce, once you have completed the program," Migler said.
Migler said these include health, business and IT, to name a few. He said occupying most of the first floor of the new career academy will be dental assisting and dental hygiene programs. Migler said there is a tremendous need for dental assistants and hygienists in western North Dakota.
"We have a very strong program at the State College of Science in Wahpeton," Migler said. "But the dilemma is, those folks are hired very quickly, and we don't see as many of those as we would like coming back to the western part of the state."
Migler said the dental assist program will open in the fall of 2023, and dental hygiene in 2024. He said other medical programs are being looked at as well. And he said other areas would include cyber security and hospitality.
The center is being funded – in part – by the federal resiliency funds Minot received after the 2011 flood.
"This was one of the strategies, for being a resilient community, of having these types of opportunities available, and having the ability to ramp up a workforce very quickly fits in nicely with the purpose of the resiliency funds," Migler said.
The center has been allocated $3.5 million from those funds. Migler said the money is being used to retrofit a building formerly used by Trinity Medical Center.
