The Roanoke County Governor's STEM Academy at Burton Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT) will develop and expand course offerings for the secondary school population of Roanoke County Public Schools. The offerings emphasize science, technology, engineering and mathematics, project-based learning, critical thinking skills, and credentials that prepare students for high demand and high-wage careers to meet evolving workforce needs in local, national and global markets. Business involvement and support is crucial to the STEM Academy. It is through this involvement and support that the STEM Academy gains its advisory board, student internships and material support.

The Governor's STEM Academy at BCAT contains four programs which fall under three VDOE career clusters. Both the Center for Engineering and the Mechatronics/Robotics programs list under the STEM career cluster; the Motorsports Technology program falls under the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics cluster; and the Center for Mass Communications is included in the Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications cluster. Enrollment is just over 200 students in the Academy's first year. Students are able to pursue many dual enrollment opportunities through Virginia Western Community College which may result in earning credits toward two-year and four-year degrees.