WCCC-UC partnership offers new opportunity for students
A new partnership between Little Miami Schools and the University of Cincinnati will give students an opportunity to earn college credit and get a leg up into the fast-growing field of informational technology.
Through Little Miami's relationship to the Warren County Career Center, this new agreement provides pathways for WCCC students to earn a bachelor of science in Information Technology degree from UC. This opportunity applies to students enrolled in IT programs on the WCCC campus and in the satellite programs at Little Miami, Kings, Lebanon, and Springboro.
Completion of the WCCC Information Technology high school program and the associated required college-level academic courses with a C or above would allow students to be automatically accepted as a sophomore into the UC School of Information Technology. Students would also be immediately eligible to participate in the UC co-op program, which is a paid work experience.
“This agreement could also open up the opportunity for the students to continue on into a master’s program even earlier if desired,” said Kim Gambill, WCCC's director of curriculum and student development. “This saves money for our students by doing the first year of college while still in high school, and gives a competitive advantage to those students in the job market. This initiative also showcases a collaborative advantage for all schools in this partnership to provide cutting-edge, college-level content while still in high school.”
On Monday, Dec. 11, Little Miami Superintendent Greg Power joined with other superintendents from the Warren County Career Center, Kings, Lebanon, and Springboro to sign the official paperwork with Larry Johnson, University of Cincinnati Dean of the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services.
"We are excited to partner with UC to create this opportunity for our students," Power said. "This gives our students a great chance to get a head start in their career planning by enabling them to finish their first year of college before they leave high school and an opportunity for a paid internships. Ideally, with paid internships each year, students can earn dollars to pay for their next year of schooling, and ostensibly graduate debt-free."
