High-schoolers can take free college classes at CCC

High school students can earn college credit or a career certification this spring with the help of a state-funded program at Cleveland Community College.Gov. Bev Perdue announced in November the launch of the Career and College Promise program for high school juniors and seniors. The program offers students the chance to work toward a four-year degree or learn entry-level job skills while earning credit toward high school graduation.Completion of the Career and College Promise, which can be done in two years, means a student can earn a minimum of 30 hours of transferrable credit or a diploma or certification in a career/technical field.

The Appropriations Act of 2011 established the Career and College Promise program, effective Jan. 1, 2012. Career and College Promise replaces previous state college-credit programs, including the Huskins courses, dual enrollment and Learn and Earn Online. Those courses were previously available at Cleveland Community College.Cleveland County students participating in Career and College Promise can take courses through the community college at their high school campuses. Other career and technical classes are offered on-site at Cleveland Community College.We’re working very closely with Cleveland County Schools to see what we can offer on campus, said Shannon L. Kennedy, CCC executive vice president of instruction and student development.

About 900 area high school students participated in college-level courses at CCC during the program’s peak, said Emily Arey, CCC admissions coordinator.Courses offered through Career and College Promise are tuition-free for students. Some classes might require students to purchase books, and students are responsible for that cost. That price, however, is small in comparison to full-price courses at a college or university, Kennedy said.Because not every student will attend college after graduation, Career and College Promise offers “pathways” for students that group classes in the order they should be completed. That helps students move toward their respective goals whether it’s to earn four-year degree or become a licensed cosmetologist.

The college-transfer program allows students to take credits earned at CCC and apply that to college degrees at University of North Carolina system schools. Other private universities also accept the transfer credit, Kennedy said.Students in the career/technical education pathway can choose a variety of courses for entry-level job skills, including classes in broadcasting and production technology, plumbing, biotechnology and carpentry.Career and College Promise will prepare eligible high school students for life after high school that means college credit for some, job training for others, Perdue said in a press release after she announced the program in November. Regardless of whether a student plans to go to college or get a job, Career and College Promise provides focused preparation, tuition-free to the student.