PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2024
For more information, contact:
Emily Nicholson, Executive Director, Land of Sky P20 Council
emilyn@landofsky.org or 252.916.2678
Land of Sky P20 Council Coordinates Training for WNC Educators on New Career Development Plan Requirements
With the 2024-2025 school year, Career Development Plans (CDPs) are now a required component for grade promotions for current 8th and 10th graders in North Carolina. The new law in General Statutes § 115C-158.10 requires schools to make available to every middle-school student an elective career pathway course that includes experiential and hands-on learning. Section c of the law dictates four sections that must be included in every CDP: 1) Self-assessment of the student’s aptitudes, skills, values, personality, and career interests; 2) Exploration and identification of pathways for careers aligned with the student’s self-assessment; 3) Alignment of academic courses and extracurricular activities with the student’s identified career interests; and 4) Creation of a career portfolio. The universal requirement for CDPs for all students necessitates an expanded focus for districts, which had previously focused career planning efforts on students in Career and Technical Education. Now all students, regardless of their postsecondary pathway, must have a CDP.
On September 17, 2024, educators from all over Western North Carolina were invited to the campus of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College for a professional development opportunity to learn more about the new requirements for CDPs. During the half-day training, educators worked to develop plans to integrate CDPs into their 8th and 10th grade classrooms, facilitate communication within their districts, and identify external resources available to help districts navigate CDPs. They also engaged in brainstorming potential solutions to the challenges inherent in this new process.
Presenters included Jamie Vaughn from the NC Commerce Labor & Economic Analysis Division (LEAD), who talked about the tools available for CDPs in NCcareers.org, Anna Hair with NC Career and Technical Education, who presented on the nuts and bolts of CDP requirements, and Devon McCarthy-James, M.Ed., with College Foundation, Inc., who led the discussion on the resources available within CFNC.org that can aid in CDP development. Land of Sky P20 Council staff pulled all the partners together to plan this event and make it a successful day. Additional support was provided by NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) School Counseling and the Western Region Education Service Alliance (WRESA).
The event drew more than 80 attendees that represented K-12 school districts from 16 counties as well as 3 of our region’s community colleges and universities. The range of departments represented–from administration to Career and Technical Education to Exceptional Children (special education) to student support services–reflected the high level of cooperation and collaboration that schools are implementing to satisfy CDP requirements and ensure high-quality, successful outcomes for students, who are our region’s future workforce.
About the Land of Sky P20 Council
The Land of Sky P20 Council fosters collaboration among employers, educators, and community members in the spirit of enduring economic prosperity, through the alignment of innovative cradle-to-career skills and resources that lead to life-sustaining job opportunities in our four-county region of western North Carolina. The Council is one collaborative across the state that underscores the endeavors of myFutureNC, which established a goal for NC to produce 2 million individuals possessing credentials that lead to gainful employment by the year 2030. The P20 Council is grateful for the support it receives from the John M. Belk Endowment to make events like this possible.
For more information about the Land of Sky P20 Council, please visit: https://www.losp20.org.
Training materials from the CDP Training held on September 17, 2024
Welcome sign for the CDP Training held on September 17, 2024
WNC educators in-session at the CDP Training held on September 17, 2024
(Clockwise from top left) Jamie Vaughn from the NC Commerce Labor & Economic Analysis Division (LEAD), Anna Hair with NC Career and Technical Education, Devon McCarthy-James, M.Ed., with College Foundation, Inc., and Emily Nicholson from the Land of Sky P20 Council at the CDP Training on September 17, 2024
