To meet the demands of North Carolinaâ??s changing economy, smaller learning academies offer a curriculum focused on a specific career pathway. Career academies, formed in partnership with the NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and the National Academy Foundation (NAF), create and sustain meaningful connections between school innovation and workforce development. Optimally, career academies prepare students for both college and technical training in a career pathway.
Often characterized as schools-within-a-school, career academies are situated on the campus of a comprehensive high school but serve a small community of students. These schools sustain ties among teachers and students for two or more years and provide work-based experience for students and their teachers.
