Fresno City College is partnering with the Career Technical Education Charter High School (CTEC) to offer dual enrollment that allows high school students to take college classes.

The CTEC campus will be located on Fresno County’s Board of Education Kermit Koontz Education Complex (KKEC), just over a mile east from FCC.

The campus had its groundbreaking for the shop facility on Oct. 20, and construction for the CTEC campus starts in late November, according to Jonathan Delano, director of Career Technical Education Charter. CTEC is currently taking applications for its first freshman class and will be opening its doors in August 2018.

According to the CTEC website, the specialized shop and classroom space supports students’ ability “to obtain certifications, employment and their post-secondary degrees” by the time they complete the educational program at CTEC.

“We believe at CTEC that education should make connections to the real world and give students the ability to see how their academic courses are relevant to future career opportunities,” said Delano.

CTEC students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible for the dual enrollment educational program which allows them to earn their high school diplomas while acquiring experience, skills and certifications within one of two technical career pathways.

Dual enrollment is a partnership between community colleges and high schools that enables students to take college classes at their high school for college credit. Through dual enrollment, students earn both college and high school credit for the single course.

Dual enrollment can also provide a sense of what college-level academics are like and is a cost-efficient way to accumulate college credits while still in high school.

“With dual enrollment, a student’s credit is based on the work they complete in the course,” Delano said. “When they receive credit for the course, the student receives a transcript from an accredited college towards a degree at a community college or university.”

Delano also said that when high school students have an opportunity to graduate from high school with college credits, they are provided “with access to college and the belief that they can obtain the goal of being a college.”

CTEC has two “pathways” to support student learning within the following career choices: advanced manufacturing and commercial construction. The two pathways that CTEC offers gives students the opportunity to obtain skills training within the career field they choose.

Students who are interested in a career in the manufacturing field can opt for the advanced manufacturing pathway, which teaches technical skills in the area of maintenance mechanic, electrician, A/C HVAC, welding, fabrication, and robotics.

Students who choose the commercial construction pathway can learn technical skills as a carpenter, electrician, heavy equipment operator, ironworker, laborer, mason, plasterer, plumber, pipefitter, sheet metal worker, and skills in welding, construction surveying, and construction engineering and management.

“Through our partnership with industry and Fresno City College, a CTEC student is provided the opportunity to gain their associate degree along with their high school diploma, earn employment upon graduating from CTEC,” Delano said, “[The students] continue their education in specialized areas at FCC or through apprenticeships, and further their post-secondary education at the university.