CTE leaders highlight growth at Davis Catalyst Center, urge expanded capacity and employer partnerships
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Summary
CTE leaders told the Davis County School District Board that demand for career and technical education has grown rapidly and that the Davis Catalyst Center is serving hundreds more students than its built capacity, producing a substantial waitlist.
Brian Hunt and CTE staff told the Davis County School District Board that career and technical education (CTE) enrollment and demand have surged, and that the district’s Davis Catalyst Center is operating beyond its current capacity.
CTE director Brian Hunt said the district offers more than 170 CTE courses across high schools and that each high school provides 60–80 CTE course options. Hunt said CTE is “for all” students and stressed that employers increasingly value transferable professional skills (often called durable skills) alongside technical training.
The district reported 16 career pathways available to students, with 12 pathways housed in the original Catalyst building and additional pathways delivered in a construction barn and portable classrooms on the Catalyst site. Tim Allen, Catalyst Center director, said the Center currently serves about 747 students and operates a waitlist approaching 400 students. He described the building’s constructed capacity as roughly 560 seats and said application numbers have grown from about 569 when the center opened to more than 1,200 applicants in the most recent fall cycle.
Hunt and Rochelle Ackley, work-based learning lead, described recent employer feedback gathered at industry advisory meetings: representatives said technical skills are valuable, but employability skills — communication, collaboration, adaptability, leadership and professionalism — are essential to hiring and retention. CTE staff said they are embedding durable skills into seventh-grade college-and-career awareness courses and piloting rubrics to make progress assessable.
Ackley outlined the district’s work-based learning program and a five-year goal to double the number of internship placements; she said the district currently places roughly 450–550 students each year in internships and work-based learning experiences, covering about 4% of juniors and seniors. The work-based learning team is building systems, employer outreach and a proposed internships job board to support expansion.
Tim Allen described near-term facility and funding needs. The board previously approved purchase and renovation of the Catalyst building; Allen told the board the district had allocated roughly $7.9 million for initial construction and renovations and that the district would apply for state Catalyst-designated funds on Nov. 1 to expand programming. He also described outreach plans that include partnerships with rural districts, an elementary-level Catalyst explorers program and an AI lab proposal to teach ethical AI use in multiple career fields.
The presenters emphasized industry partnerships (more than 250 employer partners noted) and the Catalyst’s combination of high-school credit and college credit opportunities. A student video shown during the presentation featured Jade Hardy, a medical-assisting student, who described the Catalyst experience as hands-on: “It’s more like a job than school,” she said.
CTE leaders asked the board to support continued facility, partnership and grant efforts to expand capacity and to help scale work-based learning systems districtwide. Board members commended the programs and asked for details on internship recruiting, durable-skills assessment and funding options.
