The Greater North Dakota Chamber and the state Department of Career and Technical Education have partnered to expand access to the AP Business and Personal Finance Course.
GNDC is offering up to $2000 for teachers for training in the course.
"Our members want to see an increase in 'soft skills,' when employees are coming to the workplace," said GNDC President and CEO of the GNDC. "This class aligns with the goals of North Dakota employers, and employers across the country, and we wanted to see it implemented in North Dakota."
Spencer said that's why GNDC partnered with CTE to make it happen.
"One of the main hurdles to the implementation of this new AP course in North Dakota is getting teachers trained on the curriculum, so they can teach it in their classrooms," Spencer said. "This wasn't in the budget for CTE, so we thought, how can we help?"
CTE Supervisor of Business Education Jessica DeVaal said the demand is there.
"WE see financial advisors, wealth managers, the banking industry — we're seeing lots of jobs available," DeVaal said. "This course is really intended as an 'intro to business' class. And they're using the personal finance concepts to help teach younger students business concepts."
