Conway School District and UACCM introduce a new free concurrent credit program

Little Rock, Arkansas – Conway High School students now have the opportunity to obtain free concurrent credit during their high school career thanks to a new agreement between the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton (UACCM) and the Conway School District.

Conway School District claims that more than 70 pupils have registered in the program since its recent inception.

Three career and technical education pathways—computer-aided drawing and technology, welding technology, and collision repair—are available to students at UACCM.

Conway School District and UACCM are optimistic about the increased educational possibilities for children.

Vice Chancellor of Academics at UACCM Dr. Richard Counts states that the organization wants students to earn a minimum of a 15-hour certificate of proficiency in the sector of their choice. He also feels that it’s important for students to begin their post-secondary education as soon as possible.

Counts states, “That’s really important for students in the state.” According to data from Arkansas, kids are twice as likely to obtain post-secondary qualifications if they are able to enroll in just one concurrent class for at least three hours during their high school career.

According to Counts, the program is user-friendly and removes some obstacles for students who want to enroll in the concurrent courses.

Counts note that both the cost and the fact that these kids can take these classes while on campus throughout the school day, without having to travel, are advantages.

According to him, it fosters employability in technical and career sectors.

According to Counts, “Anything we can do to reduce the number of people who are trained in those fields and place them in high-paying, high-demand jobs is going to be a great start for them.”

Academic counselors are striving to best fit the concurrent courses in timetables, according to Conway School District Superintendent Dr. Jeff Collum, and students can begin taking the courses as early as the ninth grade.

Collum states, “And so what you’re doing is you’re allowing time to be used as efficiently as possible so they can obtain the necessary course credit.” “They can get time also for the concurrent credit and get the ability to move forward efficiently.”

Currently, high school students are able to complete up to 21 concurrent hours, but Collum believes this is only the beginning.

“We anticipate being able to offer those courses for up to 50 or 60 hours at some point,” says Collum.

According to Collum, the message of greater chances will permeate lower grade levels and inspire younger children to consider all of the professional and educational options they are interested in.