Military service members and veterans are invited to attend a free briefing on Sat., Sept. 21, to learn more about the College Credit for Heroes program offered by the Dallas County Community College District. The program will be held from 8 a.m. to noon in the performance hall (Building F – Fannin) at Richland College, located at 12800 Abrams Rd. in Dallas.
Active-duty military members and veterans who had computer information technology training during their tour of duty can receive credit for that education and experience through DCCCD’s College Credit for Heroes program. Participants can sign up for a CCH account during the briefing, meet with college representatives and share breakfast.
DCCCD recently received a $150,000 grant from the Texas Workforce Commission; that grant is enabling the district to create accelerated career paths for industry certification in information technology and an optional Internet marketing specialist certificate. The program, offered by all seven colleges in the DCCCD system, reduces the time a veteran needs to complete an associate degree to 18 months and the certificate to 10 months for those specified areas.
“Currently, the seven colleges in DCCCD’s system enroll approximately 3,000 veterans; more than 10 percent of those students have selected IT as their major,” explained Joyce Williams, the district’s director of workforce education and development. “Our primary goal is to provide college credit for these courses – beginning with the spring 2014 semester – to decrease the amount of time a student takes to earn an associate degree in IT or a workforce IT certificate so that veterans can transition into the workforce quickly.”
College Credit for Heroes was launched in 2011 using $3 million in Workforce Investment Act funds. The program was authorized during the 82nd session of the Texas Legislature, and it also is supported by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The goal of DCCCD’s grant is to meet workforce needs in Dallas County.
To register for the free briefing on Sept. 21 at Richland College, visit http://www.dcccd.edu/SS/OnCampus/Veterans/CCforHeroes/Pages/Briefing.aspx
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