The West Harrison County Center in Long Beach is offering daytime, evening and weekend academic courses beginning this fall. Preregistration is being held now at the center, one of eight Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College locations in South Mississippi. Regular registration is August 19-20, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Late registration is August 21-27. Classes begin August 21.
Career and technical programs at the center include Surgical Technology, Collision Repair Technology, Automotive Technology, Food Production and Management Technology, Landscape Management Technology, Electrical Technology, Drafting and Design Technology, and Medical Billing and Coding Technology.
“During this time of economic uncertainty, we are stepping up our class offerings to ensure that any person who wants to attend college can find a schedule at West Harrison,” said Dr. Janice Poole, administrative dean at the center. “To meet the needs of the working individual, West Harrison offers a variety of academic classes that are available late afternoon, evenings and weekends.”
Poole said the weekend classes were set up to meet the needs of individuals who are currently working full time while attending school. “Beginning this fall term, many of our weekend classes will be offered in a hybrid format so that students can attend class and meet with the instructor, but can also complete some work online,” she said. “Students will also have the opportunity to earn their Associate of Arts degrees by enrolling in our Weekend Cluster classes. By taking a cluster of academic weekend/hybrid classes, students can earn an AA degree within six semesters.”
With the American Graduation Initiative taking effect this year, more grants and loans are available to community college students – both first-time students and those retraining for new careers. The initiative is expected to help an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates over the next 10 years. Those students have a greater chance of landing good jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, since jobs requiring at least an associate degree are projected to grow twice as fast as jobs requiring no college experience.
