BEST NC is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving North Carolina’s education system through policy and advocacy. We do this by convening a broad constituency; encouraging collaboration around a shared, bold vision for education; and advocating for policies, research, programs, and awareness that will significantly improve education in North Carolina.

CollegeEd is the College Board’s free, standards-based, college planning and career exploration program for middle and high school students, which provides lessons and activities, in the form of PDFs, designed to help students develop the skills to meet their goals in life. CollegeEd topics are organized around three consistent themes: “Who Am I?”, “Where Am I Going?” and “How Do I Get There?”. The program consists of three levels, each with its own student workbook and accompanying educator guide.

College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) is a free service of the State of North Carolina provided by a collaboration of Pathways (the NC Department of Public Instruction, the NC Community College System, the NC Independent Colleges and Universities and The University of North Carolina System), the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority, and College Foundation, Inc. CFNC promotes access to North Carolina higher education and assists students with education planning, career planning, and applying and paying for college.

The National Center for Education Statistics developed the College Navigator, which can be used to search and compare colleges and universities across the country. The College Navigator is free to use. 

Junior Achievement has 109 local JA Areas across the nation, and together we are the nation’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their futures, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA’s programs—in the core content areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy—ignite the spark in young people to experience and realize the opportunities and realities of work and life in the 21st century.

MOST’s College and Career Readiness Toolkit is a comprehensive guide to help middle and high school out-of-school-time programs get laser-focused on building 21st-century skills and supporting young people as they navigate through the complex world of planning for their advanced education and careers.

myFutureNC is a statewide nonprofit organization focused on educational attainment and is the result of cross-sector collaboration between North Carolina leaders in education, business, and government. 

Local Workforce Development Boards are the conveners of the workforce system on a local level in the state of North Carolina. They are business-led and supported by local elected officials. The Boards are charged with bringing together industry, education, labor, community, government, and other stakeholders in the workforce to develop demand-driven strategies connected to regional economies and labor markets. They oversee local NCWorks Career Centers in partnership with the NCWorks Commission and Division of Workforce Solutions to deliver workforce solutions, assist job seekers with improving their skills and finding jobs, and help businesses develop a qualified workforce.

NCcareers.org aims to be North Carolina’s central online resource for students, parents, educators, job seekers, and career counselors looking for a high-quality job and career information. Within NCcareers.org, users will identify their skills/interests; explore occupations and local job/employer needs; identify education and training opportunities and prepare to enter/re-enter the job market. The system provides clear, consistent information about North Carolina’s current and future job needs and education/training offerings to all, starting with students in middle school and continuing through adulthood. This workforce product is partially funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.

Planning for high school, college, the workforce, or a career change? You will find the North Carolina Career Clusters Guide a valuable resource. Designed to be a tool for planning and preparing for a career; this guide has you covered. It gives you a structure for selecting careers by linking what you know about yourself with information about occupations and typical training requirements.

The mission of the North Carolina Community College System is to open the door to high-quality, accessible educational opportunities that minimize barriers to post-secondary education, maximize student success, develop a globally and multi-culturally competent workforce, and improve the lives and well-being of individuals by providing:

Education, training, and retraining for the workforce including basic skills and literacy education, occupational, and pre-baccalaureate programs.
Support for economic development through services to and in partnership with business and industry and in collaboration with the University of North Carolina System and private colleges and universities.
Services to communities and individuals which improve the quality of life.

The Labor & Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) collects data, conducts research and analysis, and publishes reports about the state’s economy and labor market. Information and data produced by LEAD help stakeholders make more informed decisions on business recruitment, education and workforce policies, and career development, as well as gain a more extensive view of North Carolina’s economy.

North Carolina’s School Report Cards are an important resource for parents, educators, state leaders, researchers, and others, providing information about school- and district-level data in a number of areas. These include student performance and academic growth, school and student characteristics, and many other details.

The mission of the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals is to promote the education of Hispanic students.

The NCSHP has made a major commitment to build its infrastructure to meet the demands of our growing Hispanic community with respect to its dedicated mission. We support Hispanic students in their academic pursuits and empower them to achieve their dreams!

NC TOWER is a web-based delivery system providing aggregate information on students who attended public universities and community colleges in North Carolina. These data include programs of study, degrees attained, further enrollment, and wage and employment information. For more information, visit About NC TOWER.

The U.S. Department of Labor provides comprehensive information about careers and the labor market.

The Personal and Workplace Success Skills Library is a collection of resources to guide the integration of personal and workplace success skills into curriculum and instruction, advising and coaching, assessment, and program design. These resources were selected for adult education, higher education, workforce development, and career and technical education programs serving adult and older youth learners and workers, including English language learners.

VirtualJobShadow.com empowers individuals to discover, plan and pursue their dreams with our unique video-based career planning platform. Our interactive tools help students and job seekers develop career paths based on choice, not chance.