Robust Pipeline Development for High-Growth, High-Wage Jobs: NC Student Success Center defines Guided Economic Pathways

More than 150 community college leaders from across the state gathered at Davidson-Davie Community College last month to discuss the North Carolina Guided Economic Pathway model and the critical role community colleges play in designing educational journeys that connect to high growth, high-wage career pipelines. 

Centering Guided Pathways Essential Practices, the North Carolina Guided Pathway Systems (NCGPS) program illustrates an institution-wide approach to student success. It streamlines students’ journey through college by giving each student a clear, coherent, and structured educational experience that builds in a variety of career, academic, and nonacademic supports.

Senior leadership teams from 30 community colleges attended the workshop led by the North Carolina Student Success Center. Attendees discussed local labor market data to determine high-growth, high-wage pipelines in the state; identified who is represented and not represented in those pipelines; and how community colleges are critical connectors to career progression and economic mobility. 

“We wanted to maximize strategic planning efforts and provide leadership teams with time to evaluate the latest labor market and college redesign research.  It is important to know critical practices that create responsive systems as we respond to market employment demands and the changing nature of the future of work” said Dr. Andrea Crowley, Executive Director of the NC Student Success Center. “We must create visible pathways that illustrate onramps for all learners and produce a smooth student journey design that connects education to success in high-wage career pipelines.”

Dr. Julie Voigt, Chief of Staff at Sandhills Community College, attended the institute and said Guided Economic Pathways offer students a direct route to employment.

“I truly appreciated the opportunity to listen to the panels and engage with other Leadership teams, gaining insights into the various strategies they are implementing to enhance student success,” Voigt said. “The alignment of educational programs with labor market needs reduces the skills gap and increases employability for our graduates. Guided Economic Pathways offers students a clear and direct route to employment that aligns with their career objectives, enhancing student success outcomes.”

Crowley said there are multiple strategies that colleges can use to clarify and keep students’ momentum through and to credential attainment:

• Designing the entire student journey from basic skills education through bachelor’s degree;
• Providing multiple advising milestones along the student journey;
• Clustering academic programs into groups so students can find a sense of belonging in the first year with peers in core requirement courses and a “light my fire” option in the first year;
• Creating an inclusive experiential learning culture and program structure design that invites students from all backgrounds and experiences to see how they are a great fit, both socially and academically;
• Aligning academic programs to local labor market needs through robust employer relationships to provide work-based learning opportunities.

Guided Economic Pathways involves whole-college redesign that focuses on equity, prepares students for good jobs and further education, and advances students’ social and economic mobility. When colleges implement pathways, they replace the longstanding cafeteria model, which leads many students to unintended dead ends, excess credits, and out-of-sequence credits, all of which are costly and delay completion. 

For more information about Guided Economic Pathways, visit the NC Student Success Center.

About the NC Student Success Center
The North Carolina Student Success Center (NC SSC) drives transformative change across North Carolina’s 58 community colleges, impacting over 600,000 students annually. As part of the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS), we serve as a resource hub for shared learning, technical assistance, idea generation, and policy advocacy. Our primary initiatives include implementing the NCGPS program to streamline educational experiences, enhance retention rates, and close achievement gaps. We lead initiatives that ensure a future-ready workforce and foster lifelong learning pathways that drive economic mobility. Our focus extends to holistic student support and promoting inclusive excellence.

By leveraging the North Carolina Guided Economic Pathway model, we create a coherent, statewide framework through which community colleges can evaluate, align, and integrate their work. This statewide lens helps colleges learn from each other, ensures a consistent student experience across the state, and allows for economies of scale in professional development and support.