As baby boomers retire from various industries, generation X and millennials are set to take the reins.
In preparation for their entry into the workforce, high school students are looking into viable career options. At Lone Star College-Kingwood, high school dual credit students from Humble ISD are pursuing an education in the process technology program.
“These students are balancing their high school work and taking college classes that will prepare them to become successful process operators. They are learning critical knowledge and receiving hands-on skills needed to gain employment,” said Linda LaCoe, LSC process technology professor. “Their courses are the same as the college students’ classes.”
LSC-Kingwood’s Process Technology program prepares graduates for entry-level careers as process technologists/operators in the petrochemical, plastics, food and beverage, and pharmaceuticals industries. Students are enrolled in eight process technology courses, and those who complete the program will enter the workforce as a process technician with internship experience.
“This program allows the dual credit students to begin their career while in high school – earning money and degree(s) sooner,” said Dr. Marley Morris, director of career and technology education at Humble ISD.
Dual credit allows high school students, who demonstrate college readiness, to enroll in college courses and receive simultaneous academic credit for the course from both the college and the high school. Students can earn dual credit at their high school, on a Lone Star College campus or online. Participants usually are juniors and seniors, but a new rule now allows participation starting in the ninth grade.
Recent legislation in Texas now allows colleges and independent school districts to partner together to offer not only academic dual credit but also career and technology or workforce education dual credit,” said Kim Klepcyk, dean of academic partnerships and initiatives at LSC-Kingwood. “This opened the way for us to partner with local ISDs on workforce programs like our new process technology program.”
Dual credit advantages include reduced costs, transferable credit hours, and access to LSC resources. Also, students can earn college-level certifications while in high school that could lead to immediate job opportunities. For more information on Dual Credit program, visit http://www.lonestar.edu/dualcredit.htm. Find additional details on the Process Technology program at http://www.lonestar.edu/Process-Technology-AAS.htm.
Register now for credit classes online through myLoneStar. Classes are offered days, evenings, or weekends in traditional, online and hybrid formats. For more information or to register online, visit www.lonestar.edu/registration. For general information about Lone Star College-Kingwood, call 281.312.1600 or visit http://lonestar.edu/kingwood.
Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 99,000 students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area with an annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion. LSC consists of six colleges, eight centers, two university centers, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.
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