Students in middle school will complete a variety of career exploration activities. One of the biggest activities that students will complete is their Career Development Plan.  As of July 1, 2024, all middle and high school students in North Carolina must complete a Career Development Plan (CDP) to advance to the next grade according to the new law, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-158.10. This requirement kicks in for students finishing 8th grade in the 2024-2025 school year. Student’s CDP helps school teams plan college and industry tours that align with students’ career interests. Please ask your student about their career development plan that is saved in their Google Drive.

Listed below are the career exploration activities for each grade level. 

• 6th Grade :

  • Career Development Plans

    • Students learn about their career interests, learning styles, and how to set SMART goals.

  •  Career Expo and Truck Fair

  • Career Education Experience

    • Designed around student's Career Development Plans

      
      

• 7th Grade : 

  • Career Development Plans

    • Students explore their dream careers and explore the steps needed to reach their dream careers.

  • Ag Day

    • Students experience agriculture from high school pathways to local career options.

  • Career Education Experience

    • Designed around student's Career Development Plans

• 8th Grade :

  • Career Development Plans

    • Students will develop a career project to help them plan a pathway through high school and to their next step after high school. 

  • Manufacturing Day

    • Through a partnership with local manufacturers, students can explore careers in manufacturing in their community. 

  • Students@Work

    • Trips are designed to help students explore careers they did not know existed in their community and find a pathway through high school to those careers. 

  • High School Tours

    • Students visit their local high school to explore pathways through high school before registration in the Spring.

  • Career Education Experience

    • Designed around student's Career Development Plans

Randolph County Schools has three Career Development Coordinators (CDC) that will be serving all Randolph County Middle Schools. Listed below are the Career Development Coordinators and their contact information. Please feel free to contact the CDC that is serving your school.

The Career Development Coordinators' (CDC) role is to support Career and Technical Education (CTE) and to coordinate career development services for students participating in CTE. 

• Career Academy Opportunities:

• Career Development Plans:

  • Students set employment and educational goals, creating a four-year high school plan to help them succeed. This document will also guide students toward future educational needs such as certifications or degrees. Preparatory classes in high school or via CCP at a local community college are also recommended or taken to prepare the students for the next step into the adult workforce.

• Career Education Experience:

  • Field trips or guest speakers at each high school to visit or hear from local employers or colleges.

• Junior Career Expo:

  • All Juniors in RCSS are invited to attend the Career Expo where they are able to see the many career opportunities available to them and speak with business professionals in those careers.

• Internship Opportunities:

  • Exploration of careers and job fields by spending time with an employer learning the daily routine of a career of interest to that student. Internships can be measured in days, semesters, or school years. Internships can be paid or unpaid.

• Pathway Days:

  • Tours of local companies and the associated education opportunities at Randolph Community College.

  • Focusing on Manufacturing and Automotive Service

• RandolphNEXT:

• Reality Store:

  • An activity run by the Communities In Schools program that helps Freshman understand the costs involved in adult living, such as housing, children, transportation, and much more. Community volunteers assist students in making fanatical choices based on a set budget assigned to each student for the event.

Randolph County Schools has a Career Development Coordinator (CDC) within each high school. Listed below are the Career Development Coordinators and their contact information. Please feel free to contact the CDC that is serving your school.