PRESS RELEASE
May 1, 2025
(Fargo, ND) – Golden Path Solutions in Fargo, ND, is proud to announce new partnerships with two North Dakota CTE centers: the Bakken Area Skills Center (BASC) in Watford City, ND, and the Williston (ND) Basin Career & Technical Education (WBCTE) Center. The three organizations will work together to support workforce development for regional businesses across Northwestern North Dakota.
Both the BASC and the WBCTE Center provide hands-on career and technical education (CTE) classes and real-world work experience for high school students from several school districts. The centers offer a wide variety of courses in everything from agriculture to health sciences, business and marketing, trades and industry, and transportation. The BASC is also used for postsecondary training and education for in-demand skills of regional employers.
With the new collaborations, Golden Path is featuring its newly updated employer memberships as a benefit for employers who financially partner with the BASC and/or WBCTE Center. By becoming a BASC and/or WBCTE sustaining partner, employers help students find successful careers while expanding their organization’s exposure, influence, and connections with students regionally and statewide.
“Partnerships like this will transform the future of our students by connecting career pathways, fostering an innovative, skilled workforce, and delivering industry-driven solutions,” says BASC Director Dr. Wayne Heckaman. “Together, we are building cutting-edge training programs and real-world learning opportunities for our students.”
Providing opportunities for employers
BASC and WBCTE Center sustaining partners benefit from marketing, training, and influence opportunities provided by the centers, including highlighting companies to students, school professionals, and the community; making the centers’ resources and rooms available to employers for trainings; and working with employers to ensure the CTE curriculum is relevant to their industry.
“We are so excited to partner with industry leaders across our region to better equip our students with the skills they need to succeed in today’s workforce,” says WBCTE Center Director Kenzi Brown. “We look forward to working together with our local businesses and community partners to create programs that meet the needs of our growing region.”
Partnering with Golden Path
Sustaining partners also benefit from connections fostered through Golden Path Solutions, including support in offering work-based learning (WBL) opportunities, Career Profiles in the online platform Compass to highlight careers, creating incentives for long-term workforce development, and building a strategy to connect with students.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our three organizations to partner together to help drive future workforce,” says Golden Path Founder and CEO Patrick Mineer. “We’re looking forward to building connections between employers and schools in the region, which will also benefit students as they explore their career options.”
Organizations and businesses, like the North Dakota Petroleum Council (NDPC), are already expressing interest in the partnership.
“Member companies of the NDPC are committed to engaging with the future workforce in Western North Dakota,” says NDPC President Ron Ness. “By partnering with Career and Technical Education Centers such as the Bakken Area Skills Center and Williston Basin CTE Center, we are creating valuable opportunities to connect with students exploring career pathways.”
NDPC encourages businesses to register their companies with Golden Path Solutions to connect with high school students across North Dakota and offer WBL experiences.
Offering a variety of partnership levels
BASC and WBCTE Center sustaining partnerships are each available at five levels: Advocate ($2,500), Champion ($5,000), Silver ($10,000), Gold ($50,000), and Platinum ($100,000). There are additional pricing options available for supporting both centers. The levels also feature a corresponding Golden Path employer membership, which includes widely sharing employer information and career opportunities in Compass with schools and students, unlimited employer-written Career Profiles in Compass, matching students to work opportunities, member-only resources and templates, and more. Additional benefits, like personalized concierge-level strategy sessions, are available at the higher membership levels.
“Employers benefit from established organizations with the skills and knowledge to support them in workforce development,” Mineer says. “We hope these partnerships serve as a model for other ways Golden Path can partner with similar CTE centers and schools around the state that are driving closer connections with employers.”
Visit the BASC at www.basccte.com/aboutcontact/basc-foundation or the WBCTE Center at www.wbctecenter.org/o/wbctec to become a sustaining partner.
Golden Path Solutions is a software and services company in Fargo, ND, that connects students, employers, schools, and communities to provide meaningful career exploration and build future workforce. Learn more at www.goldenpath.net or contact info@goldenpath.net.