Students in Chatham County public schools will soon have a new program and skilled advisors to help them advance their academic and vocational education, thanks to an $800,000 Education and Workforce Innovation Fund grant.
The five-year grant, from the North Carolina Education and Workforce Innovation Commission, was awarded jointly to the Chatham, Harnett and Lee public school districts in collaboration with Central Carolina Community College.
The grant was one of 11 awarded to school districts throughout the state for “strengthening successful, innovative education programs that combine academic rigor and skills development with the goal of graduating every student both college and career ready,” according to the announcement from Gov. Pat McCrory’s office.
For Chatham, Harnett and Lee, the “successful, innovative education” program is Central Carolina Works, an initiative developed by a consortium of education, business and government leaders spanning the tri-county area.
The grant complements almost $750,000 in Central Carolina Works funding raised from private, government, corporate and foundation donors in the area.
Central Carolina Works is a public-private partnership, a multi-pronged effort to enable the school districts and college to advance more effectively the educational and vocational goals of high school students. The funding will pay for the placement of Academic and Career Advisors in each of the public high schools in Chatham, Harnett and Lee counties, at no cost to the schools or school districts.
The advisers will have two primary functions: direct student counseling and professional development/curriculum enhancement. They will work one-on-one with students and their families to help them take advantage of the state-funded Career and College Promise program. The CCP provides high school students the opportunity to enroll, tuition-free, in college credit courses that also apply toward their high school diploma. By the time they graduate from high school, they have a jump-start on a career or college pathway.
“We are thrilled to be embarking on this exciting journey with the implementation of Central Carolina Works, said Dr. Derrick Jordan, Chatham County Schools superintendent. “Not only will our students have additional resources to help them plan and prepare for life after graduation, but we also hope to expand their opportunities to receive college credit for courses while still enrolled in high school. This is an exciting initiative that will undoubtably have a positive impact on our students. I am grateful to our community funders and the Education and Workforce Innovation Fund grant for making this possible.”
