- Ga. governor creates pilot nursing program
- New center focuses on energy industries
- More on two-year colleges with baccalaureates
- Drexel offers tuition break for Pa., N.J. two-year transfers
Ga. governor creates pilot nursing program
Gov. Brian Kemp this week announced that he will use $843,000 from the Governors Emergency Education Relief Program to start a certified nursing assistant (CNA) pilot program.
The program will provide up to 500 current dual-enrollment high school students across 10
Georgia College and Career Academy sites a grant to cover the cost of achieving a nurse aid technical college certificate (TCC), including in-person clinical training through partnering healthcare systems. In addition, half of those students will be able to acquire an additional geriatric care TCC.
The grant will also cover the cost of completing the CNA exam administered at the end of the program that must be passed before they are allowed to work in that field.
“Due to the pandemic, the instructional and educational pathways of many of these students were disrupted, including a halt in clinical rotations required to compete one’s CNA,” according to the governor’s office. “The structure of the pilot program allows them to get back on track and gain the support needed to overcome the loss of workplace opportunities that might otherwise have helped to fund their educational pathways.”
New center focuses on energy industries
Five public two-year colleges in different states are joining forces on a center focused on developing a skilled technical workforce that will help transform the world’s energy industries.
The Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technology Education (CREATE) comprises Florida’s Indian River State College (IRSC), Madison College (Wisconsin), Central Carolina Community College (North Carolina), College of the Canyons (California) and Delaware Technical Community College.
The center, which is located at Madison College, will provide a community of practice for more than 900 national STEM educators to share energy technology and serve as a source of professional development. Each member institution will focus on a different area, including green construction, electric vehicle technology and battery storage. IRSC’s focus is on the micro grid and other types of renewable energy national training.
CREATE was made possible with a $7.5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded July 1, 2022, that continues through June 30, 2027.
“Renewable energy provides technicians with good paying jobs in STEM careers while also providing an economic lift to the communities where these individuals live,” said Kevin Cooper, executive director of innovation and business development at IRSC and co-principal investigator for the CREATE Center. “The goal of the CREATE Center is to advance the field of renewable energy by supporting two-year college renewable energy programs.”
More on two-year colleges with baccalaureates
Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research has released two new research briefs focused on California community college baccalaureate degree programs.
The first brief examines statewide growth in enrollment in these programs since their inception in the state in 2016. It also includes disaggregated graduation outcomes and student-reported employment and income gains post-degree.
The second brief dives into the development of the dental hygiene baccalaureate program at West Los Angeles College, providing implementation lessons for other community colleges considering baccalaureate programs.
Drexel offers tuition break for Pa., N.J. two-year transfers
Philadelphia’s Drexel University is launching a new program in 2023 that will offer a 50 percent tuition discount to Pennsylvania and New Jersey community college graduates.
The program is inspired by Drexel’s Liberty Scholars Program, which began a decade ago by offering full scholarships to local high school graduates who may not otherwise have had a route to college, according to the university. Drexel, which has matriculation agreements with five community colleges in Pennsylvania, enrolls about 650 transfer students annually.
“Transfer students play a key role in adding to the diverse fabric of our institution,” said Evelyn Thimba, Drexel’s senior vice president for enrollment management. “They bring different experiences and ideas to the classroom.”
