Mountain Area Workforce Development Board to Pilot Guided Compass

Guided Compass, a lifelong career development platform, today announced its partnership with Mountain Area Workforce Development Board. This 16-month pilot will focus on helping the workforce board hone technology career pathways, develop talent, and place talent with technology employers in the Western North Carolina region. Visit https://www.guidedcompass.com/partners/mawdb to learn more and to participate in this pilot.

Five key regional players benefit:

• Employers: Regional employers are encouraged to integrate their Applicant Tracking System (ATS) with Guided Compass and/or to post jobs, projects, events, and work-based learning opportunities. If they want to be more hands on, they can design their ideal candidate profiles for internal career pathways so that candidates can properly prepare. Employers win when they hire highly engaged, retained employees. https://www.guidedcompass.com/partners/mawdb/employers.
• Career Seekers: College students, youth 18+, and adults seeking career guidance and employment, internships, and project opportunities, particularly in the technology field:https://www.guidedcompass.com/partners/mawdb/career-seekers
• Workforce: Work-based learning coordinators and administrators of community colleges, universities, American Job Centers, NCWorks Career Centers, and other workforce organizations can help define career pathways and refer career-seekers. Training programs win by increasing curriculum alignment with labor market needs, increasing enrollment, increasing engagement, and placing more graduates.
• Educators: Educators and counselors of community colleges, universities, and other educational institutions can align their courses to the tech pathways, advertise courses relevant to aspiring tech career-seekers, collaborate with industry professionals on projects, and share opportunities with students:https://www.guidedcompass.com/partners/mawdb/educators
• Mentors & Volunteers: Working professionals or alumni can help with mock interviews, resume reviews, SMART goal strategies, project development, and more! Visit https://www.guidedcompass.com/partners/mawdb/mentors

“We’re ecstatic that we’re able to assist the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board region develop its technology-based workforce in an integrated, sustainable way,” says Creighton Taylor, CEO and Founder of Guided Compass.  Our goal is to supplement the local workforce development system.  Often people complete numerous career assessments, projects, and events over various points in their educational career without clear goals or direction.  Guided Compass algorithmically recommend career pathways, employers, courses, projects, work opportunities, and more to career-seekers.  More importantly, it allows career-seekers to gain advocates in educators, mentors, and other advisors who can help them, endorse them, and refer them.”  We hope that we help people in the region transition to the workforce and find purpose in what they do.”

Nathan Ramsey, Director of the Mountain Area Workforce Board and Executive Director of the Land of Sky Regional Council, enthusiastically supports the pilot of the Guided Compass interactive platform to connect career-seekers with technology opportunities in WNC, and to support employer and workforce partner engagement with MAWDB’s IT Career Pathways.  “Skills in infrastructure, customer support, software, and digital media are needed in all business sectors.  We must look at innovative solutions to connect career-seekers with jobs and work-based learning opportunities that support our area’s digital economy.   We look forward to seeing how Guided Compass helps facilitate connections for employment, internships, career guidance, technology events and other tech opportunities.”

ABOUT GUIDED COMPASS

Guided Compass is a lifelong, personalized career development platform. The tech platform helps guide career-seekers to fulfilling, “best-fit” careers and upskill workers. By starting with what employers want and tracking progress, Guided Compass provides clear, customizable pathways for career-seekers, and allows career-seekers to gain advocates in educators, coordinators, mentors, and advisors. We’re working to enhance an area’s workforce development system, helping career-seekers from career exploration to advancing in full-time work.

ABOUT MOUNTAIN AREA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD

The Mountain Area Workforce Development Board (MAWDB) is a partnership of private business executives and the leading workforce development organizations in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania Counties of western North Carolina. The purpose of the WDB is to provide policy, planning, oversight and funding for local workforce development programs and address workforce issues as they emerge within the region. The Mountain Area Workforce Board is a department of the Land of Sky Regional Council.

Land of Sky Regional Council is a multi-county, local government, planning and development organization. We reach county and municipal borders providing technical assistance to local governments and administer projects and programs which benefit our region’s citizens.