This month, we’re leaning into partnerships, growth, and strengthening our Golden Path community. The latest Compass release includes new features, designs, and usability improvements that benefit all of the audiences we work with (students, employers, schools, and colleges). Our partnerships with chambers continue to help our communities drive future workforce. The expansion of Compass to all 11 North Dakota University System institutions will help with everything from new student recruitment to current student internship and career placement, as well as enabling high school students to take their Compass profiles with them through college graduation.
Keep reading for more updates!
MHEC grant work with NDUS and Compass is underway
Thanks to a grant from the Midwest Higher Education Compact (MHEC), the entire North Dakota University System (NDUS) will have access to Compass. The project officially kicked off with its first meeting on Feb. 3.
Officials from NDUS, Golden Path Solutions, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI), North Dakota Career and Technical Education (NDCTE), and North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT) met to discuss the expansion of Compass to all 11 NDUS institution and their students.
Golden Path is already exploring Compass feature additions and updates, as well as integration and collaboration points for systems that some of the colleges already use, such as Handshake. We are excited to complement those systems and further support employer-student connections.
In the coming weeks and months, we will hold listening sessions across the state with higher-ed partners to identify their needs, how we can meet those needs, and the current systems they want to integrate with. Golden Path is also working with the North Dakota Tribal College System and NDUS to hopefully bring the five colleges into Compass as well.
Check out the latest Compass features
The newest release of Compass includes features for all of our clients, design updates in several areas, and behind-the-scenes work that makes Compass more scalable. We’re leveraging the latest technology to improve user experience and provide more flexibility for the future.
Some of the new features include:
- New Employer Guides page: This centralized location features all of our employer resources, including a Compass user guide, Compass instructional video, work-based learning whitepaper, DIY Career Profile template, ND Workforce Safety and Insurance guide, Career Profile timeline flyer, and more.
- Automated new account follow-up emails: We are sending additional information to employers and students after they create new accounts, including suggested next steps, log-in processes, how to sign up for more information, and more.
- Broadened agreements and electronic signatures: School professionals can now use agreements and electronic signatures in Compass for any purpose – from permission slips to grade reviews. An agreement doesn’t have to be tied to a work-based learning opportunity, employer, or job shadow.
- Job shadow management improvements: Job shadow management in Compass is better than ever. Recent updates include improved workflow (from educator approval to tracking employer approval to managing in-progress shadows), improved scheduling, easier access to employer primary contact information, and the option of calendar invites for students, school professionals, and parents. North Dakota educators, watch for a job shadow training session in March.
- New Career Profile format is now the default: The new profile design – complete with more photos, an embedded video, and easy-to-access links for more information – is now the default setting in Compass.
- New format for college programs: College programs now use the same updated format in Compass as Career Profiles. The new design includes more photos, an embedded video, and easy-to-access links for more information.
Check your inbox for the February Compass Release Notes email for more information.
Golden Path and FMWF Chamber expanding access to work-based learning
Golden Path Solutions and the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce are working together, along with regional schools, to expand work-based learning across the region and strengthen the future workforce. The collaboration will connect local students to hands-on experiences through Compass while helping employers engage earlier with emerging talent.
Golden Path is working with The Chamber to support its members by providing easier access to Compass, guidance and resources to strengthen workforce strategies, and preferred pricing on Golden Path employer memberships. Contact Golden Path or The Chamber for more information.
You can learn more about this partnership by reading a recent blog post by the Chamber: Partners in Leadership: Building Tomorrow’s Workforce Through Work-Based Learning.
Golden Path also hosted a table at the Chamber’s recent “Workforce Forum: From Vision to Action” in Moorhead. The half-day event provided regional employers with insights and tools to address workforce challenges and plan for their futures.
Compass to be used for Four-Year Rolling Plan for next school year
The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) has again recommended that Compass be used to capture a student’s Four-Year Rolling Plan for meeting Choice Ready requirements for schools across the state. The guidance is for the 2026-2027 school year.
Compass enables students track their Four-Year Rolling Plan, while also using their student profile to learn more about their skills and interests, connect with employers, explore careers, find work-based learning experiences like internships, and even explore colleges. North Dakota students access Compass through RUReadyND.
Instructional materials for school professionals are available through the Professional Center (go to Resources>>Compass), on the Golden Path YouTube channel, and in training materials from NDCTE. We also offer a continuing education credit course in the ND Educational Hub. Log in to your account and search for “Managing the Four-Year Rolling Plan in Compass by Golden Path Solutions.”
Employers – post your work-based learning in Compass
Summer is a great time for students to gain valuable hands-on work experience that may help them make decisions about their future. From summer jobs to job shadows, they can use these opportunities to learn more about careers, employers, important job skills, and what they enjoy.
Students and school professionals are planning now for summer. We encourage you to think ahead and start adding your work-based learning (WBL) experiences into Compass. Simply log in to Compass, go to “Opportunities,” and then under “Work-Based Learning Opportunities,” select “Add New.” Fill in as much information as you can to give students a clear understanding of what the experience includes.
As students apply, you will receive an email notification each time. You can view and manage all of the applications by clicking on “Applications.”
Contact us if you have any questions or need assistance.
Ulmer elected to ACTE board of directors
Congratulations to Dawn Ulmer as the new Association for Career and Technical Education Work-Based Learning Division Vice President-Elect. Ulmer is the Strategic Project Manager at North Dakota Career and Technical Education.
As a member of the ACTE Board of Directors, Ulmer will serve a one-year shadow term beginning July 2026, followed by a three-year term beginning July 2027.
We’re thankful for all she does to support CTE in North Dakota and now at a national level!
Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce Partners with Golden Path
Golden Path Solutions is proud to announce its new partnership with the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce in Gaffney, SC, to help drive future workforce development for its member businesses while also providing opportunities for area high school students.
Cherokee County School District, headquartered in Gaffney, joined the Golden Path community earlier this year. As the first district outside of the Midwest, Cherokee County marks a significant step in expanding Golden Path’s mission to connect students nationwide with meaningful career pathways. The district is using Compass to support career exploration and work-based learning opportunities, like internships, for students at its three high schools: Blacksburg High School, Gaffney High School, and the Institute of Innovation.
Golden Path and the Chamber are working together to engage employers within Compass to highlight their companies, careers, and work-based learning experiences. By helping meet the school district’s desire for student internships, specifically, employers are providing key student experiences while also fostering connections that could lead to future employment.
Employers – we want your feedback on Compass
There’s still time to complete the employer survey!
We’re conducting an employer feedback survey so we can better understand our employers’ needs and how we can better support them. If you are an employer, we’d love to hear from you.
The survey includes questions about what Compass features you use, how you are connecting with schools, what Golden Path services best support your workforce development, what features you’d like to see in Compass, and more.
The survey takes 10 minutes or less to complete. Take the survey now.
Thank you for your feedback!
New employers and Career Profiles added to Compass
The Golden Path community is always growing. Thank you to the North Dakota Army National Guard for their Premium Membership. We also welcomed numerous new employers into Compass, including Advanced Engineering and Environment Services in Grand Forks, ND; Cherokee County in Gaffney, SC; Duke Energy in Charlotte, NC; Valley City-Barnes County Development Corporation in Valley City, ND; and several businesses in Devils Lake, ND, including First United Bank, Klemsetsrud Plumbing/Heating/AC, Joe’s Sports Center, and Devils Lake Airport.
Some of the newest Career Profiles in Compass include:
- Pre-Apprentice Electrician through the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
- Gas Capture Technician at Lund Oil
- Strategic Communication Specialist at the North Dakota Department of Transportation
- Account Budget Specialist at the North Dakota Department of Transportation
Subscribe to the College & Career Readiness Newsletter
We encourage all North Dakota school professionals to subscribe to the new College & Career Readiness Newsletter.
This monthly newsletter, created by the ND Department of Public Instruction and North Dakota Career and Technical Education, is designed to support North Dakota career advisors, counselors, principals, CTE directors, and other professionals with updates on resources, deadlines, grant opportunities, and more.
Watch each month for an article from Golden Path featuring recommendations for using Compass.
Let us know about your events
If you have an event that you want us to include in our newsletter, please send us a note at info@goldenpath.net. If you are an employer and want to publish your event to schools and students, remember that you can do that through Compass. If you’re an educator wanting to invite employers to a school event (like a career fair or expo), you can do that in Compass too, choosing the employers you invite by industry, name, career cluster, or distance from you.
Important dates
- Feb. 10: 2026 Capital Career Fair, Bismarck, ND
- Feb. 12: 2026 Valley City (ND) State University Career Expo
- Feb. 23: Future Business Leaders of America Collegiate State Leadership Conference, Mandan, ND (Volunteer judges are needed.)
- Feb. 24: GFMEDC Un-Annual Meeting, Fargo
- Feb. 25-26: T4 Summit, Bismarck
- March 8-10: North Dakota Technology Student Association State Conference, Bismarck (Volunteer judges are needed for March 9.)
- March 25: NDSU Summer Jobs & Internships Fair, Fargo
- April 21: GrowND: Workforce Showcase, Bismarck
- April 29-May 1: ACTE’s Work-Based Learning Conference 2026, Providence, RI
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- Our blog for recent news and stories
More information
Contact us for more information or to get started with Golden Path Solutions and Compass.