TODAY’S PRESENTATION TEAM
Linda Sutton – WV Community and Technical College Coordinator for College
Transition Initiative
Linda Cronin – North Central WV College Transition Coordinator
Melissa Jones - Calhoun County High School - College Transition Instructor
West Virginia Legislature provided funds to implement a
statewide initiative for the “middle” group of students and
first generation college-going students access to a college
course while in high school or a career and technical center
The funds initially allowed the 10 Community and Technical
Colleges in West Virginia to market and implement two (2)
cohorts of 20 students, a college level introductory course
The Claude Benedum Foundation supported our initiative
with additional funding to expand delivery to more
students statewide
ONE STATEWIDE INITIATIVE
10 COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES
28 CAMPUSES
If West Virginia is going to have enough skilled workers to meet the needs of the economy,
half of the state’s workforce will need education and training beyond high school by
2018.
West Virginia’s workforce is facing a skills gap
•
20,000 additional certificate or degree completers are needed by 2018.
•
Labor economists predict that by 2018, 49% of the jobs in West Virginia will require
education and training beyond high school.¹
•
Much of the skills gap is going to be concentrated in “middle skill” jobs; those that
require more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree.
•
Types of jobs needed: advanced manufacturing, construction, energy, bio- and
nanotechnology, cyber security, information technology, telecommunications and public
safety. 54% of the needed jobs fall into this category.²
•
Without an educated workforce, West Virginia will simply not be able to sustain its
economy. Without increasing college completion rates, West Virginia will not have the
educated workforce it needs.
1. Carnevale, A. P., Smith, N., & Strohl, J. (2010). Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and
Education
Requirements Through 2018. Washington, DC: Georgetown Center on Education and the
Workforce.
2. Unruh, R. (2011). Driving Innovation from the Middle. Washington, DC: National Skills
Coalition.
Efforts to reach this completion goal must be guided by four fundament
principles.
1. Higher education institutions must partner with secondary
schools and employers to help align learning objectives and stop
the leaks in the education pipeline.
2. Second, clear and effective communication within institutions and
across public and private partners is essential to ensuring that
all parties have access to the information they need to achieve this
goal.
3. Quality must remain central to all of these efforts and cannot be
sacrificed to increase completion.
4. Access to higher education must be an opportunity for all citizens.
Emphasizing partnership and communication, while protecting
quality and access should be part of any completion effort
•
•
•
•
Partner with High Schools and Career Center to expose and
prepare students for career pathways tied to regional
economic needs and to the Community and Technical
College programs of study
Offer the College Transition course to as many students as
possible to ensure they have exposure to how Community
Colleges can prepare for entry into the workforce using
Standardized student selection criteria, textbooks, and
learning objectives, but with
Flexible delivery methods
Original Design:
Student Selection: with assistance from school’s High School Counselor and Administration
Parent Involvement – Orientation program and signature of Memorandum of Understanding
3 hour College Credit Bearing Course Offered to Sophomores
Follow Up Opportunities for College Credit Junior & Senior Year
Current Design:
Redesign of 3 hour course to 1 hour course
Focus on Seniors
Primary Target population: Career and Technical Center students
Include FASA education, College Program of Studies, Resume and Interview education, Admission
form completion and College site visit
PIERPONT COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Common questions addressed during planning phase:
 Who –Student selection process
 Where – CTC campus or the career center
 How - Adjunct instructor – traveling/dual
 What – course alignment / curriculum committee
 Offered as Dual credit with secondary instructors
serving as adjuncts
 Credit bearing course HUSV 1100
 Blackboard
 MyMathTest.com
 Campus visit
 Location & Area – Access to Colleges
 10th Grade Intro to the Majors – Dual Credit
 Math & English Remediation
 Galaxy Tablets & iPads
 Pilot Electronic textbooks
COLLEGE 101 – THE CLASS

College and Career Research Projects

Setting Goals

Time Management

Classroom Etiquette

Learning Styles

Improving Memory

Note Taking

Thinking Critically

Test Taking Strategies
A Few Words From Former College 101 Students

“I honestly couldn’t pick one thing that helped me the most from the course, because everything we went
over in the book was very useful and gave me a great toolset to help me in literally any aspect of life. I still
have my book, and refer to it quite frequently.” - - Josh Adams, WV Wesleyan College

“Time management was probably the most important thing that I learned from it. It not only helps you with
managing your school work, but it also helps you manage ‘real’ life. I can honestly say that if I had not taken
this class, I would not have been prepared for college at all.” - - Andrew Wilson, Calhoun Banks

“I think the structure of the class prepares students of what to expect a college class and atmosphere to be
like. Learning how to take ‘good’ notes was extremely useful for preparing for college. Basically, this class
teaches you how to be successful and responsible student or individual.” - - Brandi Bain, WVU

“Two words…Time Management!” – Quentin Murphy, Glenville State College

“The class was excellent at preparing me for college. I had to take another university orientation class at my
current institution and it paled in comparison to the College 101 course that was offered at Calhoun High
School. The class at Calhoun answered the questions and concerns we had as prospective college students
and prepared us for our college career. We were taught how to manage time, study for exams , speak to our
professors, and understand our role as students.” – Leslie Garrett, University of Charleston

“If you give a student a blue crayon he/she might be able to create a decent piece of art. But you won’t know
the full potential of the student unless you give them a whole box of crayons. In essential, the College 101
course to me was like a box of crayons. The course opened doors, improved study habits, worked on time
management skills, and overall excelled my college career. Without that box of crayons I would be stuck with
a single crayon, I might have knowledge, but I wouldn’t be able to tackle college.” - - Zach Hanshaw, Davis &
Elkins College
WV College Transition(CT) Students
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
608
395
400
435
478
320
CT Students
….that tells the story of many of our West Virginia students:
From one of our instructors, Fall 2012: “This afternoon I met with a student I had this fall term
for only a month and half. She had very poor attendance and thought dropping out was her
only option since she is the only one at home working and had little support to attend
school. I worked with her to convince her not to drop out of school.
The results: Instead of dropping out, she graduated early in December, attended orientation at
our Community and Technical College, and will be a full time pre-nursing student with us in
Fall 2013. She even tested into college level Math and English! She is a first generation
college student as well as a first generation high school graduate.
Also, our financial aid counselors were great to take time to help her understand the grants she
had been awarded and gave her another positive contact/experience at our Community
College. Great way to end the day!”
September 18, 2013:
United States Senator Jay Rockefeller for West Virginia announced $25 million in
federal funding for the Bridging the Gap Consortium, a group of 10 community
and technical colleges in West Virginia dedicated to expanding and improving
education and career training programs in fields that lead to high-wage, highskilled jobs and careers.*
Projection for 2013 – 2014 School Year:
812 students to participate
-one career and technical school is offering the 1 hour course to Junior & Seniors
in technical programs – 400 students
*Funding allocated under the Department of Labor’s Trade
Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Community College and Career
Training funding program
QUESTIONS