National Apprenticeship Week: Wallace State’s Fast Track for Industry program a success during inaugural semester
HANCEVILLE, ALA. – The U.S. Department of Labor is recognizing this week as the first National Apprenticeship Week, and Wallace State Community College’s Fast Track for Industry students are prime candidates to fulfill future apprenticeships or workforce experiences in industry or business or in the career path they choose.
The inaugural semester of Wallace State’s Fast Track for Industry program has exceeded the expectations of Jeff Curtis, the Cullman Area Career Center Director.
“I’ve been surprised at how well our students are doing overall in their college classes. I expected more struggles than we’ve had, but the students who decided to enroll in the program were definitely ready for college classes. They’ve had no problem adapting to college life,” Curtis said.
Wallace State’s Fast Track for Industry program was established in March as an additional extension of the Fast Track dual enrollment program. The Fast Track for Industry program allows students to jump start their future by compressing their time spent in high school and college by taking rigorous college courses that allow students to receive both high school and college credit. Students who enter the program as juniors have the opportunity to graduate with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree from Wallace State by the end of their senior year in high school.
Students enrolled in the Fast Track for Industry program spend their entire day on campus, attending their college classes and taking their high school classes at Wallace State’s General Studies building. The high school courses are taught by instructors from within the Career Center and county school system.
Tuition for Fast Track for Industry students is paid by the “Education Trust Fund Appropriations for Career Technical Dual Enrollment” grant.
Wallace State’s Fast Track for Industry program consists of 87 high school students, including enrollees from Cold Springs, Fairview, Good Hope, Hanceville, Holly Pond, Vinemont and West Point High Schools. Every student this semester is taking four college courses and two high school courses.
“I feel our Fast Track for Industry program has been hugely successful thus far. In the beginning, we anticipated 30 or so applicants and received nearly 100. When you visit the facility here at Wallace State, you can feel the excitement as students enter the building. It is a collaborative learning environment—so much so that our Fast Track Academy students go over to study and collaborate,” said Wallace State’s Diana Majerik, the Director of Dual Enrollment, Fast Track and Off Campus programs. “Between 96 to 100 percent of our Fast Track students graduate from high school, and most go on directly to employment or transfer to a university. I think it is one of the best ways to buttress students through their pathways.”
Overall, there are 119 students from Cullman County enrolled in the Fast Track Academy program.
Fairview junior Chelsea Dingler has been pleased with her decision to join the Fast Track for Industry program offerings.
“It’s been challenging, but it’s also a great opportunity,” said Dingler, who is taking child development courses at Wallace State and plans to one day earn a degree in social work. “My family probably couldn’t afford to send me to college, so it’s a great way to have my college paid for. This program makes you feel at home. Things are going better than I imagined.”
Zane Hunt, a Good Hope junior, is enrolled in Wallace State’s HVAC – Air Conditioning and Refrigeration program and has settled in nicely as well.
“I was ready for a new challenge, and it seemed like an opportunity too good to pass up. It’s been challenging for me. It’s also really rewarding,” Hunt said. “A lot of older people tell me they wish they had the same opportunity when they were in high school.”
Fast Track for Industry students are currently enrolled in 23 Wallace State programs of study and additional programs will be added for the 2016-17 academic year.
A direct result of this program is: increased graduation rates, mastery of skills and knowledge in industry-related fields, opportunities for intensive training and work experiences in an industry setting, opportunities to earn an industry-related credential, enhanced educational opportunities in non-traditional settings, and an increased number of prepared and skilled employees available for local business and industry.
“The need for these students to take advantage of a program like Fast Track for Industry is brought on by business and industry, especially in our area. Cullman County has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state because there are so many jobs here. Anyone who wants to work and can work is working, and there are more jobs that need to filled,” Curtis said. “If a student knows what they want to do, they can basically be finished with high school and an associate’s degree in two years and go straight to work if that’s what they choose.”
For more information about Fast Track for Industry, contact Curtis at 256.352.7862 or jcurtis@ccboe.org, or Jimmy Hodges at 256.352.8229 or jimmy.hodges@wallacestate.edu. Cullman County high school juniors and parents of students interested in the program should contact their guidance counselors.
For more information about Wallace State, visit www.wallacestate.edu.
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Russell Moore
Staff Writer
Wallace State Community College
P.O. Box 2000, Hanceville, AL 35077
1-866-350-9722 256-352-8443 direct
Visit us online at www.wallacestate.edu
Kristen Holmes
Communications & Marketing Director, and
Administrator, The Evelyn Burrow Museum
Wallace State Community College
801 Main Street NW | Hanceville, AL 35077
E-mail: kristen.holmes@wallacestate.edu
Office: 256.352.8118 | Cell: 256.339.2519 | Toll Free: 866.350.9722