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highland Easing Access to Technical Education
published July 31, 2014Highland Easing Access to Technical Education
Bolstered by Kansas state legislation (SB 155) aimed at increasing the numbers of high school graduates with technical certifications and degrees for entering the job market, Highland Community College is informing area high school officials of recent changes at the College aimed at enhancing access to the variety of technical programming the College offers.
One change involves a move of the Building Trades program from Atchison to Highland. Each year, the Building Trades program completes and sells a house. Last year’s house completed a full block of homes built by the program in Atchison. The program will now begin building houses in Doniphan County. The College acquired the former Anthros facility in Highland as classroom space for the program as it begins construction on a house located just south of Highland’s Main Street on highway 120. The foundation for that house is already poured, so work will begin during the fall semester with an anticipated completion date in the spring.
The Building Trades program qualifies for SB 155 funding which allows the College to waive tuition for high school students enrolling in those classes. In addition, the College Board of Trustees voted to remove charges for fees for all technical programs and SB 155 courses. So, the College will provide free tuition, fees, and books for high school juniors and seniors enrolled in this technical program. SB 155 also provides funding to school districts for transporting students to this program. To enhance accessibility to the program, high school and post-secondary students may start the program in August, October, January, or March to give some flexibility for students starting the program throughout the calendar year.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of carpenters is projected to grow 24% from now through 2022 -- much faster than the average for all occupations. The median pay for carpenters in 2012 was nearly $40,000 annually.
Interested students can contact Amy Dulac at 913-367-6204 or adulac@highlandcc.edu to visit about enrollment. Highland classes begin this semester on August 18.
The College also has a vast array of online classes that qualify through the SB 155 legislation. High school juniors and seniors may take these classes with tuition and fees free. They need only pay for the books. A list of the online SB 155 courses that are offered this fall may be found at http://highlandcc.edu/pages/high-school. Questions about online classes may be directed to Denise Peters, dpeters@highlandcc.edu or 785-362-6000.
The other major change at the College is the acquisition of the former B&B High School facility in Baileyville to house the new Western Center. Initially, diesel and welding coursework will be offered in addition to general education classes designed for transfer. For information on those courses, please contact Cara Baker, the Coordinator of the Western Center, at 442-6114 or cbaker@highlandcc.edu.
