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Cumberland County College, technical institute working to bring back adult night classes

Press of Atlantic City August 18, 2011 | D’amico, Diane VINELAND _ Evening adult programs at the Cumberland County Institute of Technology may be revived though a partnership with Cumberland County College.

The college trustees this week authorized consolidating adult evening programs at CCIT into the college’s Division of Professional and Community Education. Non-credit programs in health care, hospitality and construction fields would be phased in over the next year or so, starting with programs that complement the college’s existing offerings such as medical billing and coding. web site cumberland county college

“We are looking for ways to run them as non-credit programs but link them to our credit programs so we can create a pathway to a degree for students if they want it,” Cumberland County College president Thomas Isekenegbe said. In time the college might also offer some credit courses at the vocational school in Deerfield Township.

CCIT superintendent Darlene Barber said with less state aid and budget cuts it was no longer cost-efficient for them to run adult classes at night. The school will continue to offer adult programs during the day, such as the licensed practical nurse and dental assistant programs. The high school shared-time program is also not affected.

Barber said the county’s struggling economy has attracted more adults looking to retrain for new jobs, so there is a market for an evening program. She said about 150 students are registered now for the daytime adult programs and as many as 200 had enrolled in evening courses last year.

Both Barber and Isekenegbe said the evening program would give the college a way to expand its presence in the county and encourage more adults to continue their educations. Isekenegbe said they are still working out the logistics, but he would like to begin offering classes in September or October. Students would register with the college, but attend class at the technical school.

Judy Savage, executive director of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational Schools said the schools have struggled since the new state school funding formula eliminated state aid for adult post-secondary education vocational programs in 2008. web site cumberland county college

She said Raritan Valley Community College has taken over some programs that had been run by the Somerset County vocational school and other schools have also discussed collaborations.

One concern is the cost. Isekenegbe said the cost of the programs has not yet been determined but would be consistent with fees charged by the college. Savage said costs could be higher than vocational school programs and the colleges should be realistic about their plans.

“Not everyone needs a college degree,” she said. “Some people just want a short-term training program that is close to home and at a reasonable cost.” Still, she said, paying a bit more might be preferable to having no programs at all.

“The vocational schools are looking for how they can still deliver adult programs in a cost-effective way, and a partnership with a college would be preferable to eliminating the programs,” she said.

D’amico, Diane