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NC Department of Social Services InstituteHickory, NC

October 24, 2013

Cassandra AtkinsonTransitions CoordinatorNC Community Colleges System Office

Tish BlairAccelerating Transitions NavigatorBlue Ridge Community College (BRCC)

Allen Call Transitions Coordinator

Wilkes Community College (WCC)

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Setting the StageNC Community Colleges System Office

Community College PresentationsBlue Ridge Community College (BRCC), Flat Rock, NCWilkes Community College (WCC), Wilkesboro, NC

Social Service PartnershipsSocial Service Representatives Assisting BRCC and WCC

Questions and Answers

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Did You Know? Video

What Does It Mean?

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Hope Opportunity Jobs

Hope Opportunity Jobs

Hope Opportunity Jobs Hope Opportunity Jobs

Helping Adults Achieve Success

Helping Students Master Basic Skills and Begin Occupational Skills Training

Accelerating Opportunity: A National Initiative

Planned Outcomes

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Key Strategies Benefits for Students

Benefits to the Community

Integrated Career Pathways

• Co-enrollment in Basic Skills and Occupational Education Curricula

• Contextualized Instruction

• Team Teaching

• Reduced time to complete career pathways and earn credentials

• Challenging college level academic engagement

• Organized learning that results in gaining real work skills and credentials

• Increased educational attainment of students

• Increased supply of trained workers

College Leadership and Staff Commitment

• Engage Leadership-All Levels

• Active Implementation Teams (Basic Skills, Curriculum, Continuing Education, Student Support)

• Opportunity to enroll in college level classes

• Increased opportunity for course work to transfer to four-year colleges

• Increased number of students completing career pathways and earning degrees

• More efficient and effective use of funding

Stakeholder Engagement

• Partnerships: employers, Workforce Development Board, Department of Social Services

• Career Pathways Based on Labor Market Demand

• Industry recognized credentials

• Employment

• Apprenticeships, Internships, on-the-Job training

• Trained/Skilled workforce• Increased Earning Potential

of Students Earning Credentials

• Closing the income Gap• Students earning family

sustaining wages

Comprehensive Student Supports

• Dedicated Navigators or Counselors• Coordination with Student Support• Coordination with Community Based

Organizations such as DSS, Goodwill, United Way, etc.

• Braided Funding

• Career counseling and exploration training• Academic and non-academic

support services

• Focused and engaged students

• Students prepared for work and/or associate and bachelor’s degrees

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Serves two counties in western North Carolina◦ Henderson County Campus

180 West Campus Dr., Flat Rock◦ Transylvania County Campus

45 Oak Park Dr., Brevard Rural communities 2,308 curriculum students enrolled for fall

semester, 2013 1,064 basic skills students enrolled in 2011-

2012

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Serves three counties in northwestern NC◦ Wilkes Community College, “Main Campus”

1328 South Collegiate Dr., Wilkesboro◦ Ashe Campus

363 Campus Dr., West Jefferson◦ Alleghany Center

115 Atwood St., #A, Sparta 2,188 curriculum students enrolled for fall

semester, 2013 1,184 basic skills students enrolled in 2011-

2012

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Explain Accelerating Transitions program to entire group of new students

Meet with any individual students who are interested

Explain commitment to students who want to participate and help them complete enrollment forms

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Discuss adult high school, high school equivalency, college, and career goals

Explore College Readiness pathways’ options including Basic Skills Plus, Pathways to Employment, and Project College

Help students embrace postsecondary and occupational goals beyond completion of a secondary credential upon initial enrollment

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Tuition and registration fees may be waived through Basic Skills Plus

Student activity fees and student insurance fees are paid for from bookstore receipts

Books and supplies may be covered by grants or bookstore receipts

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Apply for scholarships through organizations such as DSS

Once students obtain their high school equivalency, they can apply for financial aid

Students may apply for a $750 high school equivalency scholarship from the College Foundation if their total GED score is at least 2700 (by current testing standards)

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Tuition and fees may be waived through Basic Skills Plus

Students are able to use textbooks through a lending library

Once students complete a secondary credential, they apply for financial aid (Pell grants, scholarships, etc.)

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WIA II (Workforce Investment Act) / “Get Real” program◦ Helps learners between 16 and 21 with tuition,

fees, textbooks, transportation, and miscellaneous college expenses

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All services at the college that are available to curriculum students◦ Advising / Counseling

Academic Career Disability

Tutoring

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JobLink – locations both on campus and off campus◦ Workshops

Job Search Overview Identify Your Key Skills Fine Tune Your Resume Career Exploration Ace the Interview Effective Communication

◦ Career Readiness Certificate (CRC)

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AccessAbility Services◦ Helps learners with documented disabilities

succeed in college Academic Support Center

◦ Provides 1-on-1 tutoring in writing, math, and reading

JobLink◦ Helps all WCC learners improve employability

skills such as resume writing, interviewing skills, and “soft” skills for the workplace

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SAGE (Supporting Academic Goals for Education)◦ Provides 1-on-1 tutoring in all subject areas for

students who qualify Career Counseling Emotional and Psychological Counseling College Readiness Transitions Coordinators,

Coaches, and Instructors Curriculum Advisors

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Develop partnerships with outside agencies

Learn about what resources agencies offer

Explain Accelerating Transitions program to agencies

Leave rack cards with agencies to publicize program

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Agencies:◦ Local Division of Workforce Solutions (DWS)◦ Housing Authority◦ Homeless Shelter◦ The Healing Place – helps those who have been

sexually abused◦ Mainstay – helps those who have been abused◦ DSS – TANF/Work First and Snap

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Agencies continued:

◦ National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Received pamphlet about NAMI through Caring

Emergency Coalition meeting Took a class that dealt with people living with

someone with mental illness A lot of the information was useful in dealing with all

people

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Agencies continued:

◦ Caring Emergency Coalition Representatives from many local organizations Meets monthly

Emily McDuffy from Interfaith Assistance Ministry (IAM) What the Caring Emergency Coalition is about What IAM does How IAM and BRCC have worked together

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Be willing to help other organizations

◦ Did a presentation at the Job Service Employer Committee quarterly meeting at the request of the Division of Workforce Solutions manager

◦ Did a presentation at a Henderson County Homeless Coalition meeting at the request of a member attending the Caring meeting

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Be willing to help other organizations (continued)

◦ I’m now treasurer of local chapter of NAMI

◦ *Emily McDuffy from Interfaith Assistance Ministry is attending Social Services Institute conference at my request

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Dept. of Social Services and Wilkes Partnership for Children (Smart Start)◦ Helps provide transportation (Wilkes

Transportation for Authority) and childcare for College Readiness learners

Smart Start, Even Start, and Wilkes Partnership for Children◦ Provide child development workers and monies

for food at family resource centers

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Dept. of Social Services Work First program◦ Promotes College Readiness students to finish a

secondary credential at Wilkes CC, attend college, improve employability skills, and find employment

◦ Works closely with College Readiness staff to ensure students are meeting goals

◦ Wilkes County DSS Work First Contacts Penny Barlow, penny.barlow@wilkes.nc.gov Eunice Call, eunice.call@wilkescc.edu

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Crossfire Methodist Church and Iglesia Evangilica Emmanuel◦ Allow English as a Second Language classes in

parish halls at a nominal expense

United Way◦ Provides additional funding to the family resource

centers for utilities and repairs

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Volunteers for Wilkes Literacy◦ Offers 1-on-1 tutoring to students needing

fundamental reading skills

Wilkes Telecommunications◦ Provides flash drives for Basic Skills Plus students

enrolled in team-taught computer literacy curriculum courses (CIS 111/110)

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Support classes in basic skills department to assist with curriculum course work

Help students with financial needs◦ Get help from Interfaith Assistance Ministry

Financial Clothing

◦ Bus tickets◦ Assistance from church

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Guide on how to proceed after completing high school equivalency

◦ What forms need to be completed and where to get them

◦ Offer to assist students if they need help, but let them be responsible for getting the forms and completing what they can on their own

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Wilkes CC “Bridge” Programs for Adult Basic Education students◦ PASS (Preparing to Achieve Student Success)

Intensive, four-week, summer program that helps learners with a secondary credential improve reading, language, and math skills to bypass developmental education courses

Allows students to develop networking skills with college personnel prior to full-time curriculum enrollment

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Bridge Programs (continued)◦ COMPASS (Career Objectives + Mentoring =

Positive Academic Student Success) Year-long “main campus” program that helps

learners complete a High School Equivalency or Adult High School diploma

Helps learners at the postsecondary level explore career objectives through the on-line program, Workforce Connects, and review academic goals to retake the college entrance test through the on-line program, Plato Learning Environment

Work First students are better able to smoothly transition to the college environment

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Cassandra AtkinsonNC Community Colleges System Officeatkinsonc@nccommunitycolleges.edu919-807-7144

Tish BlairBlue Ridge Community College (BRCC)p_blair@blueridge.edu828-694-1651

Allen CallWilkes Community College (WCC)adcall323@email.wilkescc.eduPhone 336-667-6493

Thank you!

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