HCC LEARNING LAB SERVES RECORD-BREAKING NUMBERS

Halifax Community College is bursting out all over! Not only have we surpassed the previous records for curriculum enrollment two semesters in a row, but many of our other divisions are serving record numbers as well, says Mary Hutchinson, Director of Literacy Education.

The HCC Learning Lab (ABE/GED) experienced a 7.6% increase in enrollment last fall. There were 606 students logging in at 29,926 hours during the most recent semester. There were 189 GED graduates for the year in December 2001 as compared to 120 just one year before. Of the most recent graduates, 49 are currently enrolled in curriculum classes.

Fourteen literacy sites are operating now off-campus - four of them were new this fall. A new English as a Second Language (ESL) course was initiated in the Reser's Foods plant.

Several initiatives got off the ground this year to provide additional opportunities for adult education services for our citizens:

HCC stepped up recruitment efforts through heavy solicitation in area churches: the "FATHER" Program was offered at two prison complexes, the new nationwide GED program was initiated in January ‘02, and partnerships have evolved between the principals at Northampton County Schools and HCC literacy personnel to provide opportunities for the children's parents to improve their skills at elementary school sites hosting the HCC adult basic education programs.

Spring semester 2002 promises to report impressive numbers for enrollment.

There were 257 students enrolled in the learning lab at the beginning of the spring semester, and 206 students had enrolled at off-campus sites.

The key to the success of the program has been the one-on-one opportunity for students to achieve their goals – at their own speed, and in their own time frame. Students quickly learn that success is possible if they follow a simple recipe using determination, hard work and a strong desire to succeed.