This month, we’re exploring everything from a new Compass insights page for employers to Compass trainings and breakout sessions at the NDCTE Professional Development Conference, as well as new Compass features designed for the North Dakota University System institutions. You’ll also learn about how Compass is helping justice-involved students in Moorhead, MN.
Keep reading for all of the details!
New employer insights page and employer ranking system in Compass
A new employer insights page in Compass, available to Golden Path paid members, will provide valuable data about student interactions with employer content in Compass, as well as how Compass can help employers build better connections with schools and future talent.
The page will feature insights specific to each employer, including which schools are teaching classes with the skills they seek, where to find students with those skills, and how many students are looking at their company information, including Career Profiles.
Our new employer ranking system in Compass will also provide recommendations on how to make your employer profile more complete in Compass for better success with student connections.
Watch for the new employer insights page in Compass later this summer.
Compass provides more than career guidance for justice-involved students
Students at the West Central Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Moorhead, MN, are using Compass to explore possible careers for their futures and learn about real employers.
But the online platform is giving them so much more.
Enrolled in West Central Academy (WCA), a Moorhead Area Public Schools-taught school at the detention center, the students are using Compass in their life skills class with teacher Kay Unruh. They are learning about career paths and postsecondary education options, alongside how to apply for a car loan, responsibly use a credit card, and stand out in a job interview.
Unruh says Compass provides students with solid options for their futures, allowing them to picture themselves in a career and what it would take to get there.
“Compass helps them see that there is a future for them, that there are employers willing to work with them,” Unruh says. “There is a fresh start for them. They can achieve and be successful. Their past doesn’t define them.”
Read the blog post to learn more about how Compass is supporting these students.
Learn more about Compass at the NDCTE Professional Development Conference
North Dakota school professionals can learn more about Compass during breakout and training sessions at the NDCTE Professional Development Conference Aug. 3-5 in Bismarck.
“Driving Employer Engagement with Compass” will explore how Compass builds, accelerates, and scales employer-school connections to help students plan for their futures. We’ll cover everything from our partnerships with local chambers of commerce and economic development corporations to how we’re using AI to support employers in Compass, our new Compass employer rating system, and employer-created content that is available for your lesson plans and CTE classes. We’ll also help participants view student connections from an employer’s perspective to better understand their motivation as it relates to long-term business success.
Our annual breakout session, “What’s New in Compass?”, will highlight the latest features and updates, including easy employer sign-up options, school professional resources, work-based learning management, Four-Year Rolling plan management improvements, and more.
Finally, we’ll also be hosting at least one training session for school professionals. Bring your Compass questions, learn more about features you haven’t yet accessed, and get a head start on next school year.
Employer membership renewals are easier than ever
We’ve updated our employer membership renewal process to make it easier for employers. We’re also aligning our billing year to the academic year (Aug. 1-July 31), with prorated memberships. With all members on a similar membership timeline and following the academic year, we can provide better communication, resources, and support.
Current employer members will receive a reminder email about their membership one month before it expires. They will also see the membership expiration date in Compass. At that time, employers can pay for their renewal directly in Compass, request an invoice, pay via their emailed invoice, or contact us directly to upgrade their membership to a higher level.
New Compass features added to support colleges
With all of the North Dakota University System joining the Compass community, we continue to gather feedback and insight while also creating new features in Compass.
School professionals from all 11 institutions and all five tribal colleges have been invited to the platform. We’re following up to ensure a variety of professionals from each school have access, up to 10 programs from each college are highlighted in Compass, and top amenities are also featured. The programs and amenities will help high school students learn more about the colleges while they are exploring careers and career pathways in Compass.
Compass training sessions for college professionals will also be available later this summer. These trainings will cover how to build program awareness and employer-student relationships in Compass, using Compass for internship management, and how to explore K12 trends through Compass analytics.
New Compass features designed to support the colleges include storing college IDs, optimizing how we show student trends, and allowing colleges to make and accept opportunity offers on behalf of students and employers. Updates also include adjustments to the job shadow process to better accommodate college use cases and a recommendation process for high school activities leading to a college program or career.
As we look ahead to the fall, we encourage employers in Compass to share their Career Profiles and work-based learning with college students. Employers can reach more students simply by checking the College Student box under Audience for each of their opportunities.
Check the August newsletter for more Compass college updates.
Check out the new employers and Career Profiles in Compass
More than 800 employers are now in Compass, with new employers joining every month. Some of the latest employers include:
- Schmitty & Sons Transportation in Lakeville, MN
- Prairie Field Services in Wayzata, MN
- KJL Engineering in Bismarck, ND
- Birdtree Studio in Bismarck, ND
New and updated Career Profiles include:
- Creedence Energy Services Field Engineer, Field Service Technician, and Chemical Delivery Specialist
- Golden Path Solutions Software Engineer and Marketing Specialist
- (coming soon) Kava Construction Laborer, Foreman, and Superintendent
Learn more about Golden Path employer memberships – which include Career Profiles.
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.
Upcoming events
- July 26-28: South Dakota CTE Summer Conference, Brookings
- July 29-30: TEDxFargo 2026
- Aug. 3-5: North Dakota CTE Professional Development Conference, Bismarck
- Sept. 16-18: North Dakota League of Cities Annual Conference, Grand Forks
- Sept. 22: Greater North Dakota Chamber 2026 Policy Summit, Bismarck
- Sept. 23-25: North Dakota Society for Human Resource Management (ND SHRM) State Conference, Grand Forks
- Oct. 8-9: North Dakota School Boards Association Annual Convention, Bismarck
- Oct. 21: GFMEDC’s BioScience Summit, Fargo
- Oct. 28: 2026 Northern Valley Career Expo, Grand Forks
Nov. 12-13: Minnesota State Career and Technical Education Summit, Minneapolis
Connect with us
Contact us for more information or more opportunities with Golden Path Solutions.