PRECONFERENCE
Wednesday, February 18
Workshops
Kickstart your conference with focused, hands-on workshops led by experienced practitioners. Build skills you can use right away—and carry the momentum into NCPN CONNECT 2026.
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- Audience: Open to all NCPN Conference registrants
- Cost: $215 (in addition to main conference registration)
- Registration: Select when completing the main conference registration
- Note: Preconference participation requires registration for the main NCPN Conference.
Embedding Employability Skills into Technical Programs: Tools, Strategies, and Employer Insights
Join leaders from the Necessary Skills Now initiative for a hands-on workshop focused on integrating critical employability skills—like communication, teamwork, and dependability—into technical education. Discover classroom-ready tools, bite-sized resources, and proven strategies for aligning instruction with real-world workplace expectations. Explore employer perspectives, leverage US-DOL competency models, and learn how to collaborate with industry partners to bring workplace culture into the classroom through scenario-based lessons and projects.
Hope Cotner
President & CEO of the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD)
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Marci Gale
Associate Professor and Program Head of Mechatronics and Electronics at Central Virginia Community College
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Building Inclusive Career Pathways Through Strategic Partnerships
This dynamic session explores how strategic partnerships can be leveraged to create inclusive, high-quality career pathways for all learners. Participants will engage in interactive activities to assess and strengthen current collaborations while also examining promising practices for supporting special populations through holistic supports and career navigation initiatives. By integrating service alignment with an inclusion lens, attendees will leave with actionable strategies to build a robust career preparation ecosystem that meets the diverse needs of today’s learners.
Jessica Morrison
Former Founding Executive Director of the Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative
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Integrating Apprenticeships into Career Pathways: Strategies for Educators and Workforce Partners
This session offers practical guidance for embedding apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships into career pathways to expand work-based learning opportunities. Designed for educators, counselors, and workforce leaders, the session will highlight real-world examples from states and regions leading this work. Participants will explore how to align apprenticeship models with existing programs of study, engage employers in pathway design, and create seamless transitions from classroom to career. Attendees will leave with tools and action steps for integrating high-quality work-based learning experiences—including apprenticeships—into state and local career pathway systems to better prepare learners for success in the workforce.
Besa Sadiku
Manager of Workforce Initiatives, Harper College
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Dr. Maria Coons
Senior Consultant, CORD; Former Provost and Vice President, Harper College
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From Theory to Action: Implementing AI with Purpose and Workforce Alignment
This interactive session is designed for institutional leaders and decision-makers ready to move beyond exploration and begin implementing AI across programs and campuses. Participants will collaboratively develop actionable steps for integrating AI in ways that align with workforce needs and educational goals. The workshop will explore how to prepare faculty, update curriculum, and ensure ethical and effective use of AI in learning environments. Special emphasis will be placed on engaging local employers to identify in-demand skills and co-design learning experiences that reflect real-world expectations. Participants will leave with starter action plans, ready-to-use resources, and strategies for building cross-sector support for sustainable AI integration.
Lane Freeman, Ed.D.
Director of Online Learning, North Carolina Community College System
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Trent Mohrbutter, Ed.D.
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Leading Change & Influence Forum
This interactive preconference forum brings together educators and workforce leaders for a shared experience focused on leading change, building influence, and advancing career pathways across programs and systems.
The session draws on leadership frameworks used in NCPN’s professional learning academies while remaining fully accessible and relevant to any attendee interested in strengthening their leadership practice and ability to drive meaningful change.
Format: Interactive, joint preconference session
Cost:
- NCPN Academy participants: Included as part of Academy tuition (no additional preconference fee)
- All other attendees: Standard preconference registration fee applies
- Academy participants will receive a registration code
- All other attendees may select this session during preconference registration
Interested in extended, cohort-based professional learning? Learn more about NCPN’s Academies and how they support leadership development beyond the conference.
Jennifer Jirous-Rapp, Ph.D.
VP-Pathways and Partnerships, CORD
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Lauren K Jones, NCC, CSCDA,LPCc, MCCCTE
Program Director for Special Populations, Counseling & Career Development, Colorado/ Community College System…
Annette Parker
Retired President, South Central College, Board Chair, CORD
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Join leaders from the Necessary Skills Now initiative for a hands-on workshop focused on integrating critical employability skills—like communication, teamwork, and dependability—into technical education. Discover classroom-ready tools, bite-sized resources, and proven strategies for aligning instruction with real-world workplace expectations. Explore employer perspectives, leverage US-DOL competency models, and learn how to collaborate with industry partners to bring workplace culture into the classroom through scenario-based lessons and projects.
This dynamic session explores how strategic partnerships can be leveraged to create inclusive, high-quality career pathways for all learners. Participants will engage in interactive activities to assess and strengthen current collaborations while also examining promising practices for supporting special populations through holistic supports and career navigation initiatives. By integrating service alignment with an inclusion lens, attendees will leave with actionable strategies to build a robust career preparation ecosystem that meets the diverse needs of today’s learners.
This session offers practical guidance for embedding apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships into career pathways to expand work-based learning opportunities. Designed for educators, counselors, and workforce leaders, the session will highlight real-world examples from states and regions leading this work. Participants will explore how to align apprenticeship models with existing programs of study, engage employers in pathway design, and create seamless transitions from classroom to career. Attendees will leave with tools and action steps for integrating high-quality work-based learning experiences—including apprenticeships—into state and local career pathway systems to better prepare learners for success in the workforce.
Besa Sadiku
Manager of Workforce Initiatives, Harper College
Ms. Besa Sadiku serves as Manager of Workforce Initiatives at Harper College, where she supports programs designed to strengthen employer engagement and student career pathways. Her professional background spans K–12, higher education, and global service, including roles as a Career Advisor with District 211, Defense Contract Linguist for the U.S. Army in Europe, Adjunct Instructor at universities in Kosovo, and Program Manager for the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) in deployment settings across Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans. Besa holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Business and Administration from UMGC. She is also an active member of Rotary International, contributing her expertise in fundraising and leadership to community initiatives.
Dr. Maria Coons
Senior Consultant, CORD; Former Provost and Vice President, Harper College
Dr. Maria Coons is a senior consultant for CORD, bringing more than 37 years of leadership experience from Harper College, a premier suburban community college in the Chicago area. During her tenure at Harper, she held several senior roles—including Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Innovation, Vice President of Workforce, and Provost—where she shaped major institutional initiatives in workforce and employer engagement. Maria played a pivotal role in expanding strategic partnerships and launching programs in high-growth sectors, advancing the college’s mission to drive innovation and talent development. Under her leadership, Harper College secured an American Apprenticeship Initiative grant, which became the catalyst for the college’s “earn-and-learn” apprenticeship model now used to help regional employers build strong talent pipelines.
This interactive session is designed for institutional leaders and decision-makers ready to move beyond exploration and begin implementing AI across programs and campuses. Participants will collaboratively develop actionable steps for integrating AI in ways that align with workforce needs and educational goals. The workshop will explore how to prepare faculty, update curriculum, and ensure ethical and effective use of AI in learning environments. Special emphasis will be placed on engaging local employers to identify in-demand skills and co-design learning experiences that reflect real-world expectations. Participants will leave with starter action plans, ready-to-use resources, and strategies for building cross-sector support for sustainable AI integration.
Leadership Academy Capstone Meetings
NCPN Career Pathways Leadership Certification (LEARN MORE)
NCPN Leadership Development Academy (LEARN MORE)
NCPN Counseling and Career Development Academy (LEARN MORE)
- Audience: Academy participants (invitation-only)
- Cost: Included with Academy participation (no additional fee)
- Registration: Separate link provided directly to participants
- Note: Preconference participation requires registration for the main NCPN Conference