NORTH LOGAN — The Cache County School District has been awarded a $15.2 million Catalyst Center Implementation Grant to build a dedicated Northern Utah Cache CAPS campus and expand profession-based learning opportunities for students across the region.
The award comes as part of the Utah State Board of Education’s Catalyst Center initiative, which is designed to strengthen career pathways and align K-12 learning with workforce needs
Cache County School District, acting on behalf of a multi-district effort, has invited the Box Elder, Logan and Rich County school districts, along with InTech Collegiate Academy, to participate in the expansion. The program also partners with Utah State University and Bridgerland Technical College, allowing students to “stack” credentials toward both technical certifications and four-year degrees.
The expansion is set to begin in the 2026-27 school year.
The new campus is proposed for a site adjacent to Bridgerland Technical College’s West Innovation Campus in North Logan, leveraging existing transportation infrastructure and strengthening ties to postsecondary programs in Cache Valley.
Currently serving about 100 students, the Cache CAPS program is projected to expand to a capacity of 900 students through a dual-session schedule once the new facility is complete.
The Cache CAPS program allows high school juniors and seniors to move beyond traditional job shadowing into hands-on, industry-provided project management experiences using the same tools and technology found in today’s workplaces. Students can earn high school and college credit while building career connections.
“This isn’t a traditional classroom experience,” said John Anderson, executive director of secondary school support. “CAPS gives students the chance to solve industry problems, guided by professional mentors. It’s not job shadowing — it’s real work experience.”
New and existing program areas will include business, marketing and entrepreneurship; aspiring educators; engineering, automation and industrial design; creative computing; health and medical studies; and agriculture and natural resources.
District officials said the grant will centralize high-end industry tools and specialized programming that are currently isolated to individual schools or difficult for smaller and rural districts to sustain independently.
“This collaboration will help shape our workforce by giving students valuable hands-on experience,” Superintendent Todd McKee said. “We are appreciative of the legislators for their support in ensuring every student has equitable access to high-skill career pathways.”
The Utah State Board of Education announced that Catalyst Center grants were awarded to districts and charter schools across the state to support innovative, career-focused programs
Cache County School District was among the implementation grant recipients.