Collaborative Workforce Development Plan between CMS and CPCC
May, 2013
Key Initiatives
1. Career and College Promise Initiatives
Career and College Promise provides dual enrollment opportunities for eligible North Carolina high school students
for certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees that lead to college transfer or provide entry-level job
skills. Current pathways options include:
A. Career and Technical Education (CTE) – CPCC offers 20 Career and Technical Pathways; 6 more in fall 2013.
B. College Transfer Pathway (CTP) – CPCC offers four Core 44 Transfer Pathways.
Results for 2012-2013:
 764 students dually enrolled (non-duplicated headcount)
 7444 credit hours registered
Goal: 1600 students
Supports the following Occupations in Demand:
 Advanced Manufacturing
 Engineering
 Automotive and Logistics
 Entrepreneurship
 Business Management
 Financial Services
 Construction and Energy
 Health Care and Human Services
 Hospitality and Tourism
 Information Technology
 Public Safety and First Responders
2. Cooperative Innovative High School Programs
A. Cato Middle College - This partnership between CPCC and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) was the first
to respond to the governor’s initiative to have a middle college program in every school system in North
Carolina. Middle College is designed for high school juniors and seniors interested in completing high school
graduation requirements while earning college credit through CPCC courses. Cato Middle College High School
(CMCHS) opened in the fall of 2007 with 57 students and has grown to the legislatively-mandated maximum of
200 students for the 2012-2013 academic year, with a waiting list.
Results:
 100% graduation rate in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012
 2012 graduates earned an average of 30 college credits while completing their high school graduation
requirements
 CMCHS Class of 2012 earned over $1,000,000 in scholarships;
 Designated as North Carolina Honor School of Excellence in 2010-2011;
 A 2011 CMCHS graduate earned a CPCC Associate in Arts degree along with her CMS diploma; another is
scheduled to do so in 2013.
Goals:
 Middle College programs at the Levine and Harper Campuses would offer juniors and seniors in
Mecklenburg County the opportunity to complete their CMS requirements at CPCC’s Levine and/or Harper
Campus and their CPCC college credits at any of the college’s six campuses. There is mutual interest in
requesting to increase the cap from 100 per junior and senior class to 400 students total per Middle
College. Both projects are currently included in CPCC’s Long Range Facilities Plan/Proposal to the County.
B. Hawthorne Health Sciences Academy is under discussion with CMS partners, Valerie Truesdale and Jimmy
Chauncey. The plan is to have a health sciences program at Hawthorne High School. Hawthorne will be one of
the Cooperative Innovative High Schools, which is part of Career and College Promise. The students will take
their academic courses at a CMS campus (Hawthorne) and take the lab portion at the Central Campus.
Supports the following Occupations in Demand:
 Home Health Aide
 Nurse Aid I & II
 Medical Assisting
 Phlebotomy Certificate
3. Project Lead the Way
There is a critical shortage of engineers and engineering technologists entering the field at a time when technology
is reinventing itself every few years. Project Lead the Way (PLTW) attempts to help meet the demand by offering a
dynamic high school program that provides students with real-world learning and hands-on experience. Students
interested in engineering, biomechanics, aeronautics, and other applied math and science arenas will discover
PLTW is an exciting portal into these industries.
PLTW’s premier high school program, Pathway to Engineering, is a four-year course of study integrated into the
students’ core curriculum. The combination of traditional math and science courses with innovative Pathway to
Engineering courses prepares students for college majors in engineering and technology fields and offers them the
opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school.
Pathway to Engineering courses engage high school students through a combination of activities-based, projectbased, and problem-based (APPB) learning. APPB learning not only creates an environment for applying engineering
concepts to real problems, but also prepares students to be an effective team member in college and on the job.
Unique features of the program are:
 Integrated into the students’ core curriculum Participate as part of a team
 Real-world learning
 Hands-on experience
Results: Students in PLTW high schools were introduced to engineering topics and completed coursework that
includes hands-on engineering activities.
Goal: To introduce engineering career opportunities to high school students as they complete coursework that
incorporates engineering activities and hands on experience.
Supports the following Occupations in Demand:
 Engineering
 Engineering Technicians
 Engineering Technology
4. Apprenticeship Charlotte
The goal of Apprenticeship Charlotte is to offer multiple entry points for apprenticeship opportunities. CPCC works
with businesses to identify their talent needs and recruit students to fill apprenticeship opportunities. As
distinguished from Apprenticeship 2000, Apprenticeship 2000 is focused on graduating seniors and CPCC students.
Apprenticeship Charlotte can provide a pathway to education and employment opportunities for CMS graduating
seniors. This program offers sponsor employers a trained workforce and participating students receive full tuition
for their education, work experience and training, as well as employment.
Apprenticeship Charlotte programs can vary in length. However, most are 3 to 4 years. Upon completion of the
program, students earn an Associate’s degree and a Journeyman’s Certificate awarded by the State of North
Carolina Department of Labor. At graduation, each apprentice will have 3 to 4 years of valuable work experience in
addition to their degree.
Unique features of the Apprenticeship Charlotte programs are:
 Paid tuition, books, and fees
 Paid employment during their education
 Hands-on training
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Results:
 In the first year, 2012-2013, CPCC has worked with 4 companies training 10 interns through Apprenticeship
Charlotte. (This is in addition to the Apprenticeship 2000 program.)
 The community has a better understanding of the benefits of apprenticeship programs
 Increased partnership with MeckEd and CMS to continue to build the apprenticeship awareness among
students, parents and the community at large
Goals:
 Increase pipeline of graduating seniors as potential apprentices
 Continue to build business and community awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships
 Increase the number of programs of study involved in apprenticeships
Supports the following Occupations in Demand:
 Advanced Manufacturing
 Engineering Technologies
5. College and Career Transition Initiatives (CCTI)
CCTI centers on best practices for easing student transitions from high school to college to employment in Nursing
and Allied Health Careers. Unique features of the program include:
 Building relationships among high schools, CPCC, and universities giving students a career pathway between
the three organizations.
 Engaging students in career exploration and college exploration early in middle and high school.
 Allow high school students to complete selected college-level general education courses, required by many
health career degree programs, as part of their high school class schedule.
 Provide “College Experience”, in which students are advised about appropriate college courses available
and assisted to register for sections offered during their school hours.
Results: Students interested in pursuing an associate degree in a health career completed as many as four required
general education courses in advance of applying for admission; students in involved with this initiative are well
positioned to compete in the application process.
Goal: Increase number of young applicants for health careers.
6. Through the League of Innovation’s Significant Discussions Initiative, the Mathematics Division is currently
partnered with three CMS high schools (Butler HS, Olympic Biotech HS and Performance Learning Center) to
develop and implement a curriculum model that:
 Aligns secondary and post-secondary mathematics learning objectives
 Focuses on uniform uses of instructional technology and instructional delivery approaches
 Provides ongoing professional development for HS and college mathematics faculty
Results:
 Forged collaborative partnerships with three CMS high schools
 Created a model curriculum that simultaneously addresses developmental math and high school Algebra I
content
Goals:
 Increase the use of community college instructional technology within the high school classroom
 Establish professional development opportunities involving high school and community college faculty
 Increase the presence of Common Core State Standard principles in community college mathematics
courses
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7. The STARS program has students from our IT departments working with K-12 to bring computer builds and robotics.
STARS Program: http://www.starsalliance.org/
STARS Participating Schools: http://www.starsalliance.org/academic-participants
Results:
 Students are more motivated to become highly competent in computing, thereby increasing their
confidence and interest in computing.
 Students develop a sense of belonging within a larger computing community which increases retention
rates.
 Students are better prepared for entry into workforce, undergraduate and graduate schools.
 Students have better leadership, teamwork, writing, speaking and time-management skills.
 Students have an increased desire to use computing and technology in service to society.
Goals:
 Recruiting of under-represented populations to increase computing enrollments and awareness.
 Retention of under-represented populations to increase GPA, computing efficacy and graduation rates.
 Bridging for under-represented populations to increase readiness to enter computing undergraduate and
graduate programs and careers.
Supports the following Occupations in Demand:
 Business Analyst
 Computer Systems Analyst
 Mobile Application Developer
 Software Developer
 Web Developer
8. CPCC Back to Work Grant Students will be working with CMS for iPad deployment. Approximately 6-7 grant
students in the Cisco track will be working with Mac Air deployment with CMS Administration and iPad deployment
for students.
Results: Five (5) students enrolled in the NC Back-to-Work Grant program were trained in Cisco Network
Certification and were hired by CMS as interns to deploy Apple iPads and Mac Air computers.
Goal: For the NC Back-to-Work students to obtain hands-on work experience and ultimately, a job.
Supports the following Occupations in Demand: Information Technology jobs
9. The IT Division works with IT-oLogy bringing Cyber workshops and IT Education to K-12 programs in the surrounding
areas. IT-oLogy is a non-profit collaboration of businesses, academic institutions and organizations dedicated to
growing the IT talent pipeline, fostering economic development and advancing the IT profession. IT-oLogy has three
main initiatives: Promote IT (K-12), Teach IT (Higher Education), and Grow IT (Professionals).
Results:
 IT-ology develops confidence and interest in computing.
 The community gets a stronger or better sense of IT and its influence.
 Students are better prepared for entry into workforce, undergraduate and graduate schools.
 Students have better leadership, teamwork, writing, speaking and time-management skills.
Goals:
 Recruiting of under-represented populations to increase computing enrollments and awareness.
 Creating more connections within the community and increasing the number of partners in IT-ology.
 Engage college and university students, faculty and staff in the IT-ology initiative.
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Supports the following Occupations in Demand:

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Programmer
Programmer Analyst
Security Specialist
Software Engineer
Software Quality Assurance
Analyst
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Support Specialist
System Administrator
System Analyst
Technical Specialist
Telecommunications
Specialist
 Web Administrator
 Web Developer
 Webmaster
10. STEMersion 2012 – More than 20 CMS school teachers participated in STEMersion2012. STEMersion is a
partnership designed to educate teachers on STEM jobs currently in demand in the private sector.
Results: More than 20 CMS teachers completed the project and became better educated in STEM job opportunities,
especially in Advanced Manufacturing.
Goals: To provide middle and high school teachers with first-hand experience in Advanced Manufacturing to
educate them on high-skill, high-tech job opportunities in Advanced Manufacturing.
Supports the following Occupations in Demand: Advanced Manufacturing Jobs
11. Healthcare Boot Camp with Olympic High School – 2 days in Spring 2013
Results: Results are forthcoming after the inaugural event in May.
Goals:
 Ensure that students are ready to enter college or pursue a career in the health sector following graduation
from high school.
 Increase student success and retention/completion rates of “at risk” Health science students;
 Increase semester-to-semester and year-to-year retention rates of participants;
 Increase understanding of health science careers, the postsecondary educational requirements to enter those
careers, and the high school pre-requisites for those postsecondary programs;
Supports the following Occupations in Demand:
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Cardiovascular Technology
Health Information Technology
Medical Assisting
Medical Laboratory Technology
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Nursing
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Pharmacy Technology
Physical Therapy Assistant
 Respiratory Therapy
 Surgical Technology
12. Adult High School Diploma Program – Through a collaborative agreement between CPCC and CMS, students can
earn an adult high school diploma issued by CMS. Instruction is provided by CPCC.
Results: Each year more 250 students earn an adult high school diploma.
Goals:
 Provide an alternative option for earning a high school diploma for individuals who left school before earning a
credential.
 Offer a flexible delivery including online and face-to-face instruction to assist individuals in earning their
necessary high school credits.
 Encourage co-enrollment of AHS students in college-level coursework through the Pathways to Employment
and Basic Skills Plus initiatives.
 Establish criteria for diploma recipients to earn a College and Career Ready endorsement.
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Partnership Opportunities to Support CMS Teachers, Administrators and Schools
1. CPCC providing space for CMS Teacher Training in summer 2013
Between June 17th and June 28th CPCC will be hosting the CMS Summer Institute. We will be providing around 50
classrooms/labs to them during this time. They will be utilizing almost every building on Central Campus at some
time. They expect around 2000 people to attend. Kathy Drumm has suggested we request a few minutes on their
agenda to pitch/promote what CPCC has to offer to CMS in the way of teacher training/professional development.
2. Offer Professional Development Training and Resources for CMS Teachers and Administrators
A. PBS LearningMedia – PBS LearningMedia, a partnership of PBS and WGBH Educational Foundation, is a free
media-on-demand service available to educators nationwide. PBS Learning Media provides teachers with
strategies, tools, and professional development resources needed to fully digitize learning. It brings together
the best of public media and delivers research-based, classroom-ready rich media experiences that engage
students in exploring curriculum concepts that align with National and Common Core State Standards. Drawing
from critically acclaimed PBS Programs such as NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and PBS KIDS
programs like SID THE SCIENCE KID, as well as content from organizations including The National Archives
Smithsonian, NPR, and NASA, the free service offers teachers access to more than 20,000 videos, images and
articles to enrich classroom discussion. Nationwide, more than 850,000 teachers have registered access to PBS
LearningMedia.
A recent PBS survey (January 2013) finds teachers are embracing digital resources to propel student learning. In
a national survey of 503 pre-K-12 teachers, three-quarters of teachers said that technology enables them to
reinforce and expand on content (74%), and to respond to a variety of learning styles (73%). Sixty-five percent
of teachers reported that technology allows them to demonstrate something they cannot show in any other
way.
Now that WTVI PBS Charlotte has become a full service station, CPCC has access to this service and would like
to customize it for the CMS School District. The cost of a Custom Package is $395 per school (CMS District
includes 129 Elementary and Middle Schools, 25 High Schools and two Exceptional Schools). It would cost
approximately $10,000 for the High Schools and $50,000 for the Elementary and Middle Schools. This is usually
paid by the District and is more affordable than their current Discovery paid service. (The Discovery Channel is
not affiliated with PBS) Rachel Morris, Station Relations Manager for PBS LearningMedia, has offered to come
to Charlotte for a meeting and make a presentation to CMS.
B. PBS TeacherLine – Professional development and continuing education units (CEUs) for Pre-K-12 educators.
Teachers can advance their careers and enhance their skills with standards and research-based graduate-level
courses. Over 80 courses are offered within the following categories:
 Instructional Strategies
 Mathematics
 Reading/Language Arts
 Science
 STEM
 Technology
Most courses are six weeks in length, with tuition ranging from $145-$595. The average course costs $295. All
courses are provided in a supportive online environment that makes learning flexible and accessible. Schools
and districts can improve instruction and student outcomes. PBS TeacherLine offers school districts
opportunities to enhance their existing professional development offerings. Many districts reimburse their
teachers for TeacherLine courses. (Note: VegasPBS sought and received a grant from the State to scholarship
the students).
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Now that WTVI PBS Charlotte has become a full service station, CPCC has access to this service and would like
to offer it to the CMS School District. Evidently, there is a “Southeast Region” of PBS TeacherLine consisting of
NC, SC and GA. SC’s ETV seems to be the most active. We might want/need to partner with them and/or UNCCharlotte to award graduate credits.
3. Common Core Alignment
In 2012, the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) launched an effort to promote stronger K12/postsecondary alignment. With a specific focus on supporting greater communication across all sectors of K-12
and postsecondary education in North Carolina, NCCCS is coordinating work to align expectations, standards and
assessments stemming from NC’s implementation of the Common Core State Standards in public schools. With a
clear focus on promoting career and college readiness, the office of K-12 and Postsecondary Alignment Initiatives is
directing this statewide policy engagement strategy. Support for this initiative comes from a “Core to College”
grant, funded by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors through support from the Lumina Foundation, the William
and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The initiative is guided by a Steering Committee comprised of the Chief Academic Officers of the NC Community
College System, the University of North Carolina (UNC), and the NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI); the Vice
President of Government Relations for North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; and other key leaders
from NCCCS, UNC and DPI.
Throughout 2013 and 2014, the work of this cross-sector collaboration will convene K-12 and higher education
faculty and leaders to discuss the essence of career and college readiness in North Carolina. This work will better
align expectations, standards, and assessments across education sectors, creating a more coherent and consistent
system of postsecondary success throughout the state.
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