McKenzie County was the only county in the state of North Dakota that had a Class A school but not an established post-secondary education provider. The Bakken Area Skills Center provides students and members of the surrounding workforce in the region an opportunity to participate in career and technical education and training. McKenzie County School District partnered with Williston State College, Bismarck State College, and North Dakota Job Service to ensure all programming needs were met throughout the design process. Stakeholders from each group have collaborated with ICON to understand training needs in the region and the proper equipment required for learning.

The Bakken Area Skills Center provides high school students, post-secondary students, and the local workforce with a space for training in healthcare, building trades, welding, auto-tech, and automation. The building also features a maker space as well as space for larger meetings, presentations, or conferences for stakeholders and surrounding employers to use. Flexibility of the space was a main priority of the District, and the shops were designed to be interchangeable and to allow changes to be made with minimal disruption in the future. The building was also designed to allow for future addition of a second floor.