Skeleton of the Missouri Innovation Campus is now complete

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A huge facility that’s dedicated to filling an area employment gap by educating area high school students with technology courses is beginning to take shape.

With the aim to connect tech and engineering firms with a locally-trained workforce, the Missouri Innovation Campus in Lee’s Summit was topped off Thursday with the final steel beam on its frame, the Kansas City Star reports.

The $40 million project — led by the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, Metropolitan Community College and the University of Central Missouri — employs an accelerated model allowing high school grads to complete a bachelor’s degree in two years instead of four.  It also will offer paid internships and mentorship program with more than 200 business partners.

Programs offered through the campus include courses in systems engineering tech, engineering tech, software development, computer science and design and drafting. McCownGordon Construction is serving as the general contractor for the 140,000-square-foot facility, which was designed by architects with DLR Group and Gould Evans.

The Star reports that when the facility located at 1101 N.W. Innovation Parkway opens in 2017 August, it’s expected to enroll more than 500 area students. For more on the campus, check out the gallery and video below.