CCR Champions is a spotlight series from Connor Harrington, CEO of Kuder, that celebrates educators and school districts leading the way in preparing students for college, careers, and life. From classroom innovation to statewide change, these champions are redefining career readiness, making it more real, relevant, and accessible for every student.

In this case study, we delve into how, in rural Alabama, the journey to college and career success begins with a powerful strategy: exposure.

At the Franklin County Career-Technical Center, exposure is not left to chance. Instead, a committed team of educators and career coaches is cultivating a CareerTech ecosystem that does more than introduce students to potential careers, it connects them with purpose-driven pathways.

Led by Keslie Garrett, Melissa McHenry, and Jennifer Cook, along with their dedicated team at the Franklin County Career-Technical Center, this transformative work is deeply integrated with the Alabama Career Planning System powered by Kuder®, a resource provided through the Alabama State Department of Education. Franklin County’s model illustrates how a customized, systems-driven approach to career readiness can drive real outcomes, particularly in communities with limited resources but unlimited potential.

“Some students haven’t been out of our county. We take them outside of the county to get to know a broader scope of career options and help students connect those careers back to what they know. That’s where the growth starts.”

-Keslie Garrett, Career Coach

Read on to discover how Fraklin County Career-Technical Center leaders are paving the way for career readiness and what other educators can learn from their approach.

The Challenge: Expanding Opportunities in a Rural Landscape

At Franklin County Career-Technical Center, career readiness isn’t a one-time initiative, it’s an ongoing, ever-expanding commitment. Year after year, the team has looked for new ways to build meaningful pathways for students in a rural setting, where access to postsecondary opportunities can be limited by geography, awareness, and resources.

Yet even with a strong foundation, the district encounters challenges common to many rural communities:

• Narrow career awareness: Students often gravitated toward a small set of familiar jobs, those they saw in their communities or heard about from family members. The depth of related career possibilities, such as going beyond nursing to explore what it means to be a surgical technician, was often unknown.
• Limited access to real-world experiences: Many students had never toured a workplace, visited a college campus, or interacted with professionals outside of their immediate circle. Without exposure, career exploration felt abstract.
• Untapped local partnerships: Franklin County has a strong network of employers, but many weren’t actively engaged in workforce development with students. Some prioritized partnerships with nearby city schools, leaving county students with fewer chances to connect.

“There was a gap between what students knew and what was actually out there for them. We knew we needed to create something that would inform and inspire.”

-Melissa McHenry, Career Coach

 What followed was a strategic expansion. Drawing inspiration from Coosa County Schools, Franklin County leveraged the Alabama Career Planning System to expand its CareerTech reach at every level, from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The Solution: A Strategic, Connected CareerTech Model

Rather than launching isolated programs, Franklin County built a connected sequence of CareerTech initiatives. Each program builds on the last, connecting career exploration tools, hands-on experiences, and community engagement. This comprehensive ecosystem is designed to engage students at every developmental stage and prepare them for real-world success.

Here’s how Franklin County structures this impactful journey:

Early Career Awareness: Kindergarten through 5th Grade

Career exploration starts early with age-appropriate experiences that spark curiosity and introduce foundational concepts about work and professions.

• Career Presentations: For kindergarteners, career learning is hands-on and fun with solutions like Kuder Galaxy that guide students through engaging grade-specific games, videos, and reflections. The Franklin County team takes this to the next level by structuring career presentations in which students get to partake in wearing uniforms like police vests or construction gloves and learning the why behind safety gear and tools. This helps young learners connect with real jobs in a memorable way.

Career Exploration & Community Engagement: 6^th-8th Grade

Serving as a bridge between elementary and middle school, the 6th grade experience ramps up with community and industry engagement.

• Made in Alabama Career Expo: This event brings middle school students together with local employers, teachers, and over 30 community volunteers and business ambassadors. The expo showcases a variety of career options through hands-on activities, allowing students to experience industries they might not otherwise know about by seeing the items they produce or offer.

Intentional Career Exploration: 9th through 12th Grade

As students enter high school, their career exploration deepens, shifting from general awareness to informed, personalized discovery aligned with their unique strengths, interests, and aspirations. Franklin County Career-Technical Center leverages the Alabama Career Planning System’s college and career readiness solution, Kuder Navigator, as the foundation for this stage.

• Kuder Navigator Integration: Every high school student completes three foundational assessments that measure interests, skills confidence, and work values. These insights generate personalized career cluster matches, helping students visualize potential pathways and narrow their focus toward meaningful goals.
• Career Cluster Table Talks: Aligned with students’ Kuder assessment results and career clusters, students are invited to participate in work-based learning experiences with local businesses and industries that reflect their interests. These curated field trips and hands-on visits offer tours and direct interaction with professionals, making career options tangible and inspiring.
• Bridging Unexpected Connections: A powerful breakthrough often occurs when students discover connections between seemingly different career paths. One student shared, “I thought I wanted to be a nurse, but my Kuder results matched me to business. How can those two worlds connect?”Then, the CareerTech team engages students then in deeper discussion such as how roles such as a hospital HR manager can bridge their interests, demonstrating that career journeys aren’t always linear and can blend multiple interests and skill sets.

“The kind of guided career exploration that Navigator supports helps students see that career paths aren’t always linear, they can create their own unique journey.”

-Keslie Garrett, Career Coach

Leadership & Professional Growth: CareerTech Ambassadors

Franklin County also invests in developing student leaders who become CareerTech Ambassadors, serving as peer mentors and community advocates.

• Application and Selection: Juniors and seniors with demonstrated interest and leadership qualities apply, submitting recommendation letters and showing active participation in CareerTech.
• Roles and Responsibilities: Ambassadors get to participate in workshops on interview skills, resume writing, and career readiness.
• Scholarships: To reward leadership, the local community college offers three book scholarships annually to senior ambassadors.

Melissa shared, “Our ambassadors become the voice of CareerTech, they inspire others and help build a culture of career readiness across the district.”

Educator & Business Engagement: Building a Sustainable Network

Franklin County knows sustainable impact requires collaboration. They’ve invested in educator development and business engagement to build a stronger support network for students.

• Professional Development for Educators: Teachers participate in summer PD and ongoing workshops featuring simulations that demonstrate how to integrate career-related learning into core subjects like math and science. This cross-curricular approach makes career education relevant across the curriculum.
• Business Luncheons and Outreach: Local companies are invited to luncheons and networking events to understand the benefits of partnering with schools as smart workforce investment. These events have sparked new collaborations and expanded business involvement.
• Innovative Engagement Strategies: Franklin County uses in-person tours, Zoom calls, and virtual presentations to overcome geographic barriers and bring more employers into the CareerTech fold, even those outside the immediate area.

The Power of a Connected System

By building a structured pipeline from early career awareness through leadership development, Franklin County Career-Technical Center creates a seamless, student-centered, community-powered ecosystem. Powered by the Alabama Career Planning System, this model ensures that every initiative reinforces the next to guide students with clarity and purpose toward their future.

Their work is streamlined through use of the Alabama Career Planning System powered by Kuder®:

• Administer reliable assessments and aptitudes
• Generate customized reports by school, grade, or group
• Match students to work-based learning opportunities aligned with their interests
• Facilitate communication between counselors and students
• Provide educators with lesson plans, college prep tools, and academic alignment resources
• And so much more.

Learning from Coosa County: Scaling Proven Solutions Across the State

The foundation for much of Franklin County’s model was inspired by similar work in Coosa County Schools.

“From working under great leadership in Coosa County, I knew we could bring that same vision here,” said Keslie. “The framework for strategy was in place and we have been able to adapt it to serve our students.”

Coosa County’s best practices in career assessments, cluster-based field trips, and business partnerships helped accelerate Franklin County’s CareerTech journey.

Outcomes That Matter

The result? A CareerTech culture that delivers measurable outcomes:

Beyond the metrics, the mindset shift is unmistakable: students are dreaming bigger, teachers are leading students with purpose, and local industries are seeing the value of investing in tomorrow’s workforce today.

What’s Next: Growing the CareerTech Vision

Franklin County isn’t stopping here. Their next goals include:

• Scaling the Table Talks and Career Connections model across additional grade levels.
• Growing business partnerships for additional sectors.
• Deepening educator PD around integrating CTE concepts in core subjects.
• Supporting students beyond high school, whether their path leads to college, a credential, or direct entry into the workforce.

Final Takeaway: A Model for Career Readiness That Works

Franklin County Career-Technical Center proves that college and career readiness doesn’t require massive funding or big-city resources, it requires intentionality, systems, and people who care.

By leveraging the Alabama Career Planning System, learning from partners like Coosa County Schools, and creating a network of local businesses, Franklin County is delivering a scalable, student-centered CareerTech model that other districts can replicate.

So, take that first step: organize one meaningful field trip, connect with one local business, pull one Kuder report. From there, momentum builds, and opportunities multiply. It’s about creating pathways, not waiting for perfect conditions.

In Franklin County, students are uncovering new futures every day and the ripple effect is just beginning.

Ready to transform career readiness in your district?

Explore how tailored career development solutions powered by Kuder®, can help your students discover their path and take their first steps toward it with confidence.

Contact our team today to learn more.