The partnership will create more opportunities for students at Boone County High School to earn free college credits through career and technical education programs.
Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College has formed a partnership with Boone County Schools and the Boone Career and Technical Center to create free college credit opportunities for high school students in career and technical education programs. The initiative will help students earn college credits more quickly and more affordably, before they even graduate from high school. It also prepares them to enter into the workforce.
According to an article on Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College’s website, the college’s Interim President Elizabeth Manuel was quoted as saying of the initiative, “Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College is proud to partner with Boone County Schools to create clear, affordable pathways from high school to college and the workforce. By allowing students to earn college credit while completing their career and technical programs, we are helping them get a head start on their future careers. We are excited to strengthen our partnership with Boone County and expand opportunities for students throughout the region.”
Through this partnership, students who are enrolled in the Automotive Technology, Building Maintenance and Operations, Electrical Technician, Power Equipment Systems, or Welding programs will have the opportunity to earn 16 college credits from Southern toward an Associate in Applied Science in Technical Studies degree. Additionally, Boone Career and Technical Center students who are enrolled in the Grow Your Own Teaching Pathway can earn up to 12 credits toward an Associate in Arts-Education degree from Southern.
Boone County Schools Superintendent Allen Sexton said, “We are excited to renew and expand our partnership with Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. This collaboration reflects the work both organizations have done to create stronger pathways for Boone County students. By aligning our career and technical programs with college opportunities, students can earn meaningful college credit while still in high school and at no cost to their families. Most importantly, we are giving students a head start on their futures and creating clearer pathways from our classrooms to college, careers, and the workforce right here in southern West Virginia.”
Dr. Jacob Messer, the director and principal of the Boone Career and Technical Center, added, “We are always looking for opportunities to help our students and give them more options for their post-secondary paths. This is another option for them, and we are very excited about it. We appreciate Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College for making it possible.”
For more information about Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, visit the school’s website.