CONCORD 鈥� Tucked into Gov. Chris Sununu鈥檚 second inaugural address was a promise to create the New Hampshire Career Academy, a partnership involving community colleges, employers and local high schools that will enable motivated and capable students to get a tuition-free associate degree.
If the initiative comes together as planned over the next year, it has the potential to address some of the state鈥檚 most vexing issues, including high levels of student debt, workforce shortage and the need to keep more young people from moving away.
鈥淲e want to make sure there are no barriers or silos between that 12th year of education and the first year of college, and that there is a smooth transfer from college to employment,鈥� said economist Ross Gittell, chancellor of the community college system.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about removing those traditional barriers by having the institutions work together instead of requiring that students address those barriers on their own.鈥�
The concept has been working in Rochester, where for more than a year Spaulding High School, 海角乱伦 and aerospace component manufacturer Safran have partnered on a program that allows high school students to spend part of their senior year taking classes at the college for concurrent high school and college credit in the high-demand field of composites manufacturing.
Students who successfully complete the program are guaranteed an interview and most likely a job at Safran, one of Rochester鈥檚 premiere employers.
Developed in Rochester
Dean Graziano, extended learning opportunity coordinator for Rochester schools, developed the program after meeting with community college officials.
鈥淗e wanted to find a way to reward ambitious high school students who were ready for the challenge of college and eager to begin their careers,鈥� according to the 海角乱伦 website.
Graziano and his Safran Aerospace Composite contacts met with Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut and in August presented the program to the governor and Executive Council, where it was well received.
鈥淲e loved the program; we loved the concept; we loved the potential for what it can do for students,鈥� said Edelblut, 鈥渂ut we recognized we don鈥檛 have a sustainable funding model, so we had to develop some way to fund it statewide.鈥�
Now in its second year, the Rochester program has been funded by corporate sponsors, including Safran, Federal Savings Bank, Profile Bank, Waterstone Retail, MyTurn, McDonalds/Napoli Group, Home Depot and Timberland Shoes.
鈥淭his has been funded so far by industry, but the companies don鈥檛 want to own the education system; that鈥檚 our job,鈥� said Edelblut. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been helpful and useful and now want to transfer this to a sustainable funding model.鈥�
Charter school path
That model will take the form of a charter school, which will be created by a joint application of the state鈥檚 community colleges to the Board of Education. If approved, the school will be known as the New Hampshire Career Academy.
It won鈥檛 have any buildings, nor will it have any faculty of its own. The courses will be offered through community colleges in partnership with the high schools, using existing faculty.
A board of directors will be created, whose main job will be to establish partnerships with business and industry throughout the state.
As a public charter school, the Career Academy will be able to attract the $7,300 in per-student funding that the state Legislature has established for approved charter schools, thus eliminating the need for students to come up with tuition.
The program will require students to complete several college-level courses in their senior year at their high school, and a fifth year through the Career Academy.
A career path
Students who complete the program will attain a high school diploma, a college associate degree, some form of career credential or certificate and an 鈥渆stablished career path with a New Hampshire employer,鈥� according to a Department of Education fact sheet.
鈥淭his is not for 100 percent of students,鈥� said Gittell. 鈥淚t has to be students who have the background, the drive and the motivation to do this.鈥�
But if 5 to 10 percent of students take advantage of the program, that adds up to a lot of people over time, he said.
About 8,000 high school students in the state are already enrolled in a program called Running Start, in which they take college courses while still in high school in a process known as 鈥渄ual enrollment.鈥�
鈥淲ith some students, the senior year becomes a year of not doing much because they鈥檝e already completed a lot of the requirements,鈥� Gittell said.
鈥淭here is a segment of the population, maybe 5 to 10 percent, who might not be interested in four years of college or two years of community college, but might find this attractive: Do it in one year past your normal 12 years and get a job that pays 15 percent more per year for life with that certificate, and you don鈥檛 have to pay for it because it鈥檚 free, and you don鈥檛 have to leave your community; there鈥檚 a job waiting for you.鈥�
Implementation team
The Department of Education announced Friday it was recruiting an implementation team to get the program going, with representatives from the DOE and community college system, educators from career and technical centers, administrators from local high schools and business leaders.
鈥淥ver the past 24 hours, we have received overwhelming support for this initiative, and I am excited that we are assembling a diverse team of supportive stakeholders and experts who I am confident will implement this program to get it up and running for New Hampshire鈥檚 children,鈥� Sununu said.
Can a statewide program be in place in time for enrollment this fall?
鈥淚鈥檓 really an optimistic kind of person,鈥� Edelblut said. 鈥淚 would love to see that. I don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 possible or not, but it鈥檚 a target we鈥檒l move toward.鈥�
Original Story: The Union Leader –