This pilot program at Columbus college gives students another option besides GED
A new way to earn a high school equivalency credential will be offered at Columbus Technical College, one of five institutions in the state selected for this pilot program and part of a national trend providing more options for folks who haven’t earned a high school diploma and haven’t passed the GED exam.
It’s called the Career Plus HSE, and it allows students to combine academic credits from high school and technical college with completed portions of the GED exam to earn a high school equivalency credential.
Since 1946, passing the GED exam was the only way to earn this credential in Georgia. Now, in addition to a credit-based pathway, Georgia joins 23 other states offering an alternative standardized test, the HiSET.
Albany Technical College, Athens Technical College, Central Georgia Technical College and Savannah Technical College are the four other institutions in this pilot program out of the 22-member Technical College System of Georgia.
In the six counties served by Columbus Tech (Muscogee, Harris, Chattahoochee, Quitman, Stewart and Talbot), 14% of adults age 25 or older don’t have a high school diploma or equivalency, according to Columbus Tech’s news release.
“We look at the Career Plus HSE program as another opportunity to serve our community,” April Hopson, Columbus Tech’s vice president for adult education, said in the news release. “Each student has a different barrier to overcome, and the more we are able to give the student, the more options we have for success.”
Columbus Tech’s version of the Career Plus HSE program will comprise four career tracks:
- Cabinetmaking assembly technician
- Certified production technician
- Gas metal arc welder
- Nurse aide.
