Canyons School District has started using a digital career-readiness platform called SkillCo, according to the company's founder, as the district prepares to open a new career-training campus in Draper.

SkillCo CEO Steve Lockhart said his Orem-based startup onboarded Canyons in about two weeks, crediting the speed to the district's course catalog already being in a machine-readable format. The adoption was first reported by TechBuzz News.

The platform builds what Lockhart calls a "living portfolio" for each student. According to the company, it documents verified skills, coursework, projects, work experience and extracurricular activities and maps them to career opportunities. An updated export feature makes those portfolios readable by artificial intelligence hiring tools.

The move comes as Canyons prepares to open the Canyons Innovation Center at 12943 S. 700 East in Draper. The center is converting the former eBay regional headquarters into a career-training campus targeted for August 2027. All 15 of the district's Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs will relocate there from the current CTEC campus in Sandy.

Funding comes primarily from a $17.2 million Catalyst Center Implementation Grant from the Utah State Board of Education and proceeds from the sale of surplus district property, according to Canyons School District. The center can serve up to 3,000 students. Officials expect 1,800 in its first year.

No Canyons School District statement confirming the SkillCo adoption has been published. Lockhart's account to TechBuzz is the only public source for the partnership.

Patricia "Patti" Larkin, named the district's CTE director in June, described the Innovation Center's role in the district's career pipeline when she was appointed. "Our goal is for every student to arrive at the Innovation Center with a sense of purpose, an understanding of their interests, and a pathway to college, a career, or both," Larkin said in her appointment announcement.

Reid Newey, the Innovation Center's director, told the Draper Journal in July that the center aims to build a profession-based learning program guided by industry and business partnerships. A 25-member advisory committee representing healthcare, aerospace, defense, cybersecurity and technology is shaping the curriculum.

SkillCo grew out of an 18-month development partnership with Utah Valley University (UVU), which remains a partner through the 2027-28 academic year. Canyons is one of three Utah K-12 districts now using the platform, along with Provo City School District and Nebo School District.

Clay Bingham, CTE director for Provo City School District, said the platform helped his district show students how their CTE coursework connects to different careers and opportunities. Provo was the first K-12 district to adopt SkillCo.

The Innovation Center also launched its first AI concurrent enrollment course in partnership with UVU, and new programs in culinary arts, engineering, manufacturing and machining are planned for the campus when it opens.