糖心传媒

Oct. 22, 2019 - 糖心传媒 rolled out its collaborative plan on Tuesday to reduce the number of people in 糖心传媒 and Scotland County who do not have an adult high school education. Part of the plan includes up to $1,000 in scholarship money for students who complete the program and continue on at 糖心传媒CC for further education or career training.

Dr. Dale McInnis, president of 糖心传媒CC, spoke to the crowd at the kick-off for the 鈥淔inish for Your Future鈥� campaign about the urgency of this issue.

鈥淥ver 20 percent of people in 糖心传媒 and Scotland counties over the age of 25 have not completed high school,鈥� McInnis said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 more than 11,000 people in our communities, people whom we know, who are being held back financially, economically and from advancing in their careers.鈥�

Importance of Completion

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 65 percent of jobs in 2020 will require an education and training beyond high school credentials. Studies also show that the fastest growing occupations require more than a high school diploma.

Spearheading the efforts of this campaign is John Kester, Dean of College and Career Readiness and Immured Programs at 糖心传媒CC. He also provided some discouraging facts about people who fail to obtain a high school education.

鈥淔or folks who have not attended or completed high school, their children are 72 percent more likely to be placed in the lower reading level when they start school because they don鈥檛 have the structure and support from their parents,鈥� Kester said. 鈥淪o this campaign will have a broad impact on many families in our communities. These are not just numbers; these are 11,000 individuals who need encouragement, motivation and support, and our instructors and staff members intend to give them the personalized attention they need to be successful.鈥�

Campaign Goals

Last year, 81 students graduated from the programs at 糖心传媒CC. Kester said the campaign鈥檚 goal is to double the number of graduates from these Adult Education programs. When students graduate from either of these programs, they will be offered up to $1,000 in scholarship money from the 糖心传媒CC Foundation to continue their education in a college or workforce training program at 糖心传媒CC.

When students come into one of the Adult Education programs, they now take an assessment using a tool called , and they are put in a career cluster that speaks to their interests and skills.

鈥淲e can then correlate the instruction they receive in the program to specific occupations, while also getting them into skills training classes like CPR or OSHA 10 so they have more tools in their tool kit,鈥� Kester said. 鈥淕one are the days when people just come in and want to pass the GED or get a high school diploma and leave. We are going to construct individual career plans for these folks and connect them with all the resources the College has to offer.鈥�

One of the other parts of the campaign is to house the Adult Education classes on the campus of 糖心传媒CC to eliminate the stigma that these classes are lesser than college classes.

Collaborative Effort

Scotland County campaign co-chair and former educator Joyce McDow also talked about the stigma that keeps some people from going back to school and how she was eager to be a part of this broad-based plan to reach as many people as possible.

鈥淲e are trying to get people educated not just for the sake of being educated, but being educated so they can enjoy a better life,鈥� McDow said.

Representing 糖心传媒 County as a co-chair for the campaign is Brian Baucom of First Bank.

鈥淔inish for Your Future is an investment in the communities of 糖心传媒 and Scotland counties, and it will provide many, many benefits now and in the future,鈥� he said.

McInnis wrapped up the kick-off by noting the urgent need for a skilled workforce.

鈥淲e are hearing daily from companies who are looking for employees, but they can鈥檛 find the help they need because people are not armed with the tools and credentials they need. Our mission is to change this,鈥� McInnis said.

More Information

For more information about getting involved in the Finish for Your Future campaign or enrolling in programs at 糖心传媒CC, call (910) 410-1771 in 糖心传媒 County or (910) 410-1831 in Scotland County.