Randolph County School System unveils ‘Workforce Roadmap’ to expand career pathways for grades 5–12

David Krause, introduced at the work session as the presenter of the Randolph County School System’s new "Workforce Roadmap," told the school board the initiative will support every student in grades 5 through 12 with a coordinated college-and-career continuum. "I'm excited to say that every single student in grades 5 through 12 will be supported by the workforce road map," Krause said.

The roadmap is intended to align classroom coursework, career‑development plans (CDPs) and postsecondary options, including strengthened partnerships with Randolph Community College (RCC) and the University of Mount Olive. Krause said the district developed the framework from employer feedback and regional labor data and framed it as a way to address national and local workforce shortages while connecting students to well‑paying local jobs.

Krause detailed district CTE capacity and outreach: he said the system employs roughly 69 CTE teachers, has career-development coordinators at each high school and two middle‑school CDCs that oversee thousands of CDPs. The district offers about 26 pathways across 16 career clusters and more than 95 CTE courses; Krause described events such as a fifth‑grade Junior Achievement program, middle‑school career expos, and high‑school pathway days that give students hands‑on industry exposure.

Apprenticeship Randolph—described as a flagship three‑year partnership with RCC and about 17 local manufacturers—was highlighted as a no‑cost route to credentials and job placement for participating students. The transcript includes a wage number for program completers that appears to be a transcription error; the presentation described strong placement outcomes but the specific dollar figure in the transcript was garbled and is not reported here.

Krause also outlined dual‑enrollment (CCP) seats with RCC: he said the district currently has about 2,108 seats available through the partnership, that roughly 92.5% of district CCP students pass those courses, and that credits generally transfer to North Carolina public four‑year institutions. The board heard that career academies are in place at the district’s seven high schools, with about 10 protected seats per academy reserved through RCC during an initial registration window before seats open to other students.

Board members praised the outreach events and asked detailed questions about pathway prerequisites and local capacity. In response to whether seniors will be guaranteed job placement, Krause said placement is not guaranteed yet; next steps include better tracking of post‑roadmap outcomes and expanded internships, apprenticeships and work‑based learning.

The presenter acknowledged RCC staff who partner with the district (including Misty West, Grama Lane and Melinda Udy) and said RCC’s president was unable to attend.

The board did not take formal votes on the roadmap at the work session; Krause said the district will move next to marketing one‑pagers for families, to broader community outreach and to efforts to extend pathway elements to earlier grades (K–4) in a development phase.