Edmonds Community College is located in Lynnwood, Washington.
A consortium is an agreement or association that is formed to undertake a task beyond the resources of a single member. The Edmonds Community College Tech Prep Consortium is a partnership between Edmonds Community College and high schools throughout the state of Washington. The tech prep program is a dual enrollment program for high school students.
Help Students Transition to Post-Secondary Program
An essential duty of the Tech Prep Consortium program is to facilitate high school students' transition to a post-secondary educational institution. The tech prep program allows high school students to register for and complete online classes from their high school campus. Earned credits can be applied to high school and college professional or technical credit requirements. Further, there are no tuition costs to students in the consortium program. As a result of this dual-enrollment program, students are more encouraged to pursue post-secondary education, as they have already completed, at no cost, basic coursework toward the degree.
Collaborate with High Schools
The Tech Prep Consortium is also tasked with collaborating with high schools around the state. Currently, eight school districts throughout the state participate in the Tech Prep Consortium. Those districts include Anacortes School District, Edmonds School District, Issaquah School District, Lake Washing School District, Mukilteo School District, Oak Harbor School District, Snohomish School District, Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center and Tri-Tech Skills Center. The Tech Prep Consortium is working to recruit more high schools to participate, so that more high school students can benefit from the dual-enrollment program. A partnership depends upon a high school and the tech program agreeing on courses that are valuable for both degree levels and upon a high school's resources to provide space for and oversight of tech prep students who complete classes online.
Setting Academic Standards
Another essential duty of the Tech Prep Consortium is setting the standards for academic performance and approving program courses. Currently, the program stipulates that students must complete online classes and earn a grade of B or higher. Students are not required to purchase textbooks, but they are responsible for obtaining whatever materials individual assignments require. The consortium also must create and implement courses of study. For instance, the program offers students courses in culinary arts, nursing, materials science, construction and carpentry.
Attracting Scholarships and Grants
Another task of Tech Prep Consortium Program is to collaborate with the community and attract funding and grants. By promoting the program to local and state business and organizations, the consortium can secure scholarship funds for graduating high schools that have participated in the tech prep program. For instance, the Lynnwood Rotary recently announced that it will provide an annual scholarship for a Lynnwood High School Tech Prep Construction student to attend Edmonds Community College for a Construction Industry Training certificate or Construction Management degree. An internal scholarship that the consortium has established is the Washington State Tech Prep Directors' Association Student Scholarship, which offers two $1,000 scholarships to students transitioning to any state community or technical college.
Tags: Prep Consortium, Tech Prep Consortium, School District, Community College, Edmonds Community, Edmonds Community College, high school