Author: Jamie Vaughn
It’s the best career information resource available on the internet, and it’s getting even better! The “new” NCcareers.org is under final development and will be officially released in the coming months. The new site will continue to include a wealth of information and tools to help answer the following questions:
- What jobs are projected to be most in demand in my area of North Carolina?
- What salary will I need to make to live the lifestyle I want?
- What is an average salary for my job in my region or statewide?
- What industries hire the job I am seeking?
- What are the job opportunities for people who have the degree I am interested in?
NCcareers.org users looking for early access to the new site may be able to visit it soon. After the transition, the tools that currently populate NCcareers.org will still be accessible in their current format at tools.nccareers.org.
The vision for NCcareers.org has always been to provide a web-based Career Information System application to take users on a comprehensive career journey, instead of providing individual tools that are used separately. The tools and data developed by LEAD on NCcareers.org were always intended as a means to distribute labor market information and a placeholder until a more comprehensive, user-centric system was developed.
Since April 2019, LEAD has led the re-imagining of NCcareers.org and worked with Vanguard Direct to design the application. LEAD will continue to provide ongoing maintenance of the system. In addition to LEAD’s role, the new application is a collaboration of multiple partners, including SEAA, CFNC, NC Community Colleges, NC Department of Public Instruction, the UNC System, NC Division of Workforce Solutions, NC Department of Health and Human Services and NC Independent Colleges & Universities. Through the establishment of a working governance committee, the partners have provided important guidance and direction for NCcareers.org.
In order to determine what users would want in a new NCcareers.org, the development team gathered feedback through focus groups, online surveys and one-on-one interviews with career counselors, educators and researchers. Lessons learned through that initial discovery process informed the design and functionality of the new site.
As shown in the landing page screenshot below, the site will have a different user experience from the current one, encouraging exploration about occupations of interest. NCcareers.org tools like Reality Check and Interest Profiler will remain accessible, and will integrate into other tools and information like Star Jobs and Occupation Profiler.
New features include an Education Return on Investment tool, which shows users how much money they could make with a particular degree, and a Career Ladder tool, which helps users determine what jobs could be the natural next step in the progression of a career. Users can also choose a goal career and work backwards, seeing which jobs would lead to the ultimate goal.
Key features of the new NCcareers.org include:
- Connectivity with existing systems like NCWorks.gov and CFNC.org
- New and emerging occupation information
- Education ROI Calculator
- State and regional labor market data such as job trends, wages, projections and employment outcomes
- Age-appropriate skill/interest assessments
- Web, mobile and print resources
- Career Portfolio Management
Testing on the new site will begin shortly and we’re still looking for more Beta testers! If you’re interested in being part of this process, send an email with the subject line “Beta Tester” to Jeff.Debellis@nccommerce.com.
If you have any questions or comments about the new NCcareers.org, please contact Jeff DeBellis or Jamie Vaughn – Jamie.Vaughn@nccommerce.com.