Tech Prep offers secondary students early career start

TEXAS CITY – Each fall, high school teachers from 10 surrounding districts and College of the Mainland (COM) faculty meet to review the articulation agreements that allow students as young as freshmen to begin a six-year career path that culminates in an associate degree with a solid workforce skill.

“Studies show that students who are more engaged in their classes and can see the relevance to the everyday world are much more likely to graduate from high school and pursue career interests in postsecondary programs,” explains Pam Bethscheider, tech prep area coordinator at COM.

Currently, high school students can enroll in one of eight tech prep associate of applied science (AAS) areas: business administration/accounting, business administration/management, business administration/marketing, child development/education, criminal justice, emergency medical services, graphic design/web design and health information management.

“These students participate in rigorous course-work that captures their attention and teaches problem-solving skills. The rigorous career and technical education classes complement the core academic classes and bring a more focused student to college and to the work world,” says Bethscheider.

If students maintain a B-average (80 or better) in high school and are recommended as ready to do college-level work, they may request COM credit for specific college courses that they completed during high school. The tech prep programs provide free college credit to high school students as long as they complete the recommended tech prep courses.

Last month, 42 teachers from surrounding districts met with COM faculty in program-specific workshops to review the tech prep curricula to ensure students would be on-track to continue their education at COM.

“The tech prep programs engage students early on in high school and encourage them to continue their career interest at COM by enrolling in an A.A.S. program,” adds Bethscheider. “These students will graduate from COM with the high skills demanded by today’s workforce.”

School districts articulating with COM include; Alvin, Clear Creek, Dickinson, Friendswood, Galveston, Hitchcock, La Marque, Pearland, Santa Fe and Texas City. 

For more information contact Pam Bethscheider at 409-938-1211, ext. 110 or e-mail her at pbethsch@com.edu.