97 High School Students Earn College Credit at ATC through Dual Enrollment Program

Almost one hundred high school senior and junior students are taking advantage of dual enrollment opportunities between Altamaha Technical College and local county high schools including Appling County Comprehensive High School, Jeff Davis High School, Long County High School, and Wayne County High School. 

Through Dual Enrollment, these students are receiving training which “jump starts” their career by allowing them to receive high school course credit and college course credit while still in high school.  These students are preparing themselves for gainful employment while also increasing their career opportunities.

LCHS and WCHS students attend the Jesup campus, while ACCHS students attend the Baxley campus, and JDHS students attend the Hazlehurst campus.  “The students are at the college either first thing in the morning or the latter part of the day, depending on which high school they come from,” explains Rod Lane, ATC Tech Prep Coordinator.  “They are no longer high school students while they are here, they are college students,” says Lane.

Each ATC campus offers different programs for the high school students to enroll in.  LCHS and WCHS students, which together make 56 of the 97 attending, take classes at the college such as A+ Specialist, Basic Electricity Technician, Basic Shielded Metal Arc Welding, Nail Technician, Air Conditioning Technician Assistant, Automotive Fundamentals, and Industrial Programmable Controller.  JDHS students make up 38 out of the 97 high school students in the dual enrollment program.  They are enrolled in programs such as Application Software Specialist, Patient Care Assistant (CNA), Residential Wiring, Gas Metal Arc Welding, Industrial Mechanical Technician, Industrial Electrical Technology, and Culinary Arts.  The remainder of the dual enrollment students are from ACCHS and are developing skills in classes such as A+ Specialist and Fundamentals of Diesel Service.

As is evidenced by the photos, these students are getting “hands-on” training in the many courses for which they have an interest.  They are developing the academic and occupational competencies needed for their career and will be prepared to enter the job market with a technical certificate of credit.  Students can then go on to continue their education at ATC, go to work in the industry, or go to a four year university with the skills they have acquired.  “Two out of every three college students go into debt,” comments Dana Gainer, ATC Marketing and Recruiting Specialist. “By attending a technical college first a student can obtain a skill that will help them pay their way through a four year university.”

Parents or students who have an interest in finding out more about dual enrollment opportunities may contact Rod Lane, the Tech Prep Coordinator, at Altamaha Technical College, 912-588-2575 or 800-645-8284.