Dual Enrollment

Career and Technical Education Month

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For the past few years there has been a focus on making sure that students leave high school “College and Career Ready”.  You might have heard these words used to describe the new standards that Alabama implemented a few years ago called the “College and Career Ready Standards”, commonly referred to as the Common Core.  So, what does it mean to be “College or Career Ready”?  In a nutshell, it means that when students walk across the stage after four years of high school, they should possess skills that will help them get a job or succeed in college.  

Having students take dual enrollment classes is one way in which a school can prepare students for college or a career.  At Opelika High School, students as young as 10th grade are taking dual enrollment courses at Southern Union State Community College (SUSCC).  These courses allow a student to obtain college credit and technical training simultaneously.  In the Spring semester of 2016, there are Opelika High School students enrolled in Welding I, Welding II, Automotive Service Technology, and Engineering Graphics and Design.  These classes are housed in the new Center for Integrated Manufacturing building on the campus of SUSCC.  The classes these students are taking are no different than the ones taken by full time students at SUSCC.  In fact OHS students are in the same class with the same instructor as full time SUSCC students.  The only difference between the two is that the high school students had their tuition paid for through scholarships from the Alabama State Department of Education.

Depending on the program that a student selects and their dedication, it is possible for a student to complete enough course work at SUSCC to earn a Short Term Certificate in a given program prior to their high school graduation.  Currently, Opelika High School also has a group of seniors that are enrolled in an Emergency Medical Technician program through SUSCC.  At the end of this semester, these students will sit for the E.M.T. license.  

As registration for the 2016-2017 school year continues, more students are becoming interested in taking advantage of the possibilities that SUSCC offers them.  We are excited about that growth and look forward to helping more students become “College and Career Ready”.