ShawneeWORKS expands dual credit and College Credit Plus, helps students gain direct entry into the workforce, and streamlines admission for applied technical degree programs.
Shawnee State University has partnered with five career and technical centers in south central Ohio through its ShawneeWORKS initiative. The initiative seeks to create a pipeline of high schoolers and adult learners who will receive career training in in-demand areas for the region’s workforce. It will expand dual credit and College Credit Plus, help students gain direct entry into the workforce, and streamline admission for applied technical degree programs.
According to an article on Shawnee State University’s website, President Eric Andrew Braun was quoted as saying of ShawneeWORKS, “Demand for graduates with applied technical skills is exploding throughout southern Ohio. This new partnership is a natural extension of the focus shared by Shawnee State University and our region’s outstanding career technical centers to provide students with the education and experience they need to fill in-demand jobs."
ShawneeWORKS is a regional dual-credit, credential, and workforce consortium. The initiative is mutually beneficial for both students and employers, as students will be able to take courses more affordably and they will be on a faster path to degree and credential completion.
The inaugural partners in ShawneeWORKS are Scioto County Career Technical Center, Pike County Career Technology Center, Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center, Buckeye Hills Career Center, and Southern Hills Career & Technical Center.
Jamie Nash, who serves as the superintendent of the Buckeye Hills Career Center, said, “This collaboration represents a new vision for southern Ohio. Education and industry working as one to create seamless pathways from the classroom to meaningful careers. Together, we’re not simply preparing people for jobs; we’re developing talent, strengthening our region, and creating pathways to successful lives.”
Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center Superintendent Jonathan Davis said, “Shawnee State has demonstrated what is possible when higher education and career centers choose collaboration over competition. By putting students at the center of every conversation, we’re building stronger pathways and opening more doors for the students we serve, in the region we all love.”
Kyle Copley, the Scioto County CTC Superintendent, noted that ShawneeWORKS will provide benefits to the community as a whole. “This unique partnership is the first of its kind for us. ShawneeWORKS will help provide students of southern Ohio with an educational pathway well beyond the walls of our institutions.”
For more information about Shawnee State University, visit the school’s website.