CareerSource Suncoast and Career Online High School Offer High School Diploma Opportunities to Residents in Sarasota and Manatee Counties
Bradenton, FLA, Sarasota, FLA, Venice, FLA and Boston, MASS, July 20, 2016 — Cengage Learning and CareerSource Suncoast have partnered to provide community members with the opportunity to earn an accredited high school diploma and credentialed career certificate through Career Online High School (COHS). The COHS program is designed to reengage adults into the education system and prepare them for entry into post-secondary career education and the workforce. With twenty scholarships now available to residents of Sarasota and Manatee Counties, CareerSource Suncoast is the first regional workforce board in Florida to deliver COHS.
“Working with CareerSource Suncoast, we are very happy to reconnect residents in Sarasota and Manatee Counties to education with the potential to change their lives,” said Taryn McKenzie, Director of Workforce Development, Cengage Learning. “The Career Online High School program is designed to help individuals succeed—whether to secure employment or as a springboard to further education.”
“Earning a high school diploma is a life-changing achievement,” said Linda Morlock, Instructor, CareerSource Suncoast. “By offering Career Online High School, we’re empowering members of the community to seek new opportunities through education.”
According to data from the U.S. Department of Labor, individuals with a high school diploma earn 38 percent more than those without a diploma. Other studies show that high school graduates recognize as much as a 50 percent to 100 percent increase in lifetime income.
“Suncoast is the first State of Florida regional workforce board to adopt the COHS program and we look forward to forming more such partnerships,” said Dr. Howard Liebman, Superintendent of Schools for the COHS district. “We designed the program to be aligned to the new federal and state WIOA legislation, to support the efforts of workforce boards helping out-of-school youth and adult job seekers access to education and training that lead to industry trained credentials.”
In addition to an accredited high school diploma, graduates earn a credentialed career certificate in one of eight high-growth, high-demand career fields (across a wide spectrum from child care and education to certified transportation). Students have up to 18 months to complete the program but may be able to complete the program in as few as six months by transferring in previously earned high school credits.
COHS was created in 2012 by Cengage Learning and Smart Horizons Career Online Education to provide affordable, career-based online education opportunities for the millions of adults in the United States without high school diplomas. Community members can learn more at careersourcesuncoast.com.
About Cengage Learning
Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, technology, and services company for the higher education and K-12, professional, library and workforce training markets worldwide. The company provides superior content, personalized services and course-driven digital solutions that accelerate student engagement and transform the learning experience. Cengage Learning is headquartered in Boston, MA with an office hub located in San Francisco, CA. Cengage Learning employees reside in nearly 40 different countries with company sales in more than 125 countries around the world. www.cengage.com.
About Smart Horizons Career Online Education
Smart Horizons Career Online Education (SHCOE), founded in 2009 and based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a private, AdvancED/SACS/NCA/NWAC accredited online school district. District accreditation signifies that SHCOE and all of its schools are fully accredited and that SHCOE is recognized across the nation as a quality school system. SHCOE offers 18-credit, career-based high school diploma programs that are designed to prepare students for entrance into the workplace. Career certificate offerings include Child Care, Office Management, Protection Services, Homeland Security, Commercial Driving, Retail Customer Service, Food and Hospitality, and General Career Preparation. For more information, visit shcoe.org.