Canyons School District has been awarded a $17.2 million Catalyst Center Implementation Grant from the Utah State Board of Education, a major investment that will help transform the former regional headquarters of eBay into a cutting-edge learning hub focused on career readiness.
Coupled with proceeds from the sale of surplus District property, the state funding will cover virtually all costs associated with retrofitting the facility into the Canyons Innovation Center, a profession-based learning campus devoted to preparing students as early as high school for immediate entry to high-demand careers.
The Feb. 6, 2026 announcement comes during Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, underscoring Utah’s growing emphasis on aligning education with workforce needs.
“This grant reflects a shared commitment to preparing students for success in their careers,” said Molly Hart, Utah’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction, in announcing the statewide awards. “By supporting locally developed programs connected to real workforce needs, the Catalyst Center initiative helps ensure students graduate with relevant skills and meaningful opportunities.”
The Catalyst Center grants were competitive. This year, USBE received 35 applications requesting more than $200 million in funding. Canyons was among 13 education agencies to receive an Implementation Grant, signaling its readiness to launch.
More than a school, the Canyons Innovation Center is a strategic response to the nation’s talent pipeline crisis. Students at the center will be able to earn high school and college credit as well as industry certifications that open doors to jobs in such fields as the skilled trades, health sciences, construction, advanced manufacturing, engineering, and digital media.
Located it the heart of Silicon Slopes, Utah’s emerging tech sector, the campus is being designed from the inside out to mirror and reinforce the expectations of adult workplaces, not the rhythms of a traditional school.
CIC teachers will come straight from industry. Students will work on authentic projects that come from local employers, not from textbooks, using equipment they will encounter in the workplace.
Careers are evolving rapidly, and many of the jobs students will one day pursue have not yet been invented, said CIC Director Reid Newey. “This center is designed to flex with industry needs and equip students with the everyday habits and professional fluency they’ll need to succeed in any job.”
Construction crews recently broke ground on the Innovation Center’s trades building. The campus is on track to open in fall 2027.
“This project is a smart approach to growth and innovation,” said Canyons Superintendent Dr. Rick Robins. “We are investing in programs that directly support students and the regional economy, and we’re doing it by repurposing a corporate office for less than half of what it would have cost to build a new school and using existing assets and grants to get the school launched.”
