The college was one of 15 NC community colleges approved by the State Board of Community Colleges on February 16, 2024 for participation in the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Student Workforce Training Program.
Participating in the IDD program will enable A-B Tech to hire a full-time coordinator to support students with intellectual and developmental disabilities with the development, access, and achievement of their college plans. The coordinator also will support the growth of programs and services accessible to these students across the college.
In November 2023, the North Carolina Community College System received $4 million in recurring funds to create a regional support network for job training and employer networking for IDD students. It is an expansion of a successful pilot program at Catawba Valley Community College and Brunswick Community College that helped IDD students earn credentials and skills for the workforce.
A-B Tech’s current IDD program includes Successful Occupational Achievement Readiness (SOAR), a free two-year program launched in the fall of 2023 that helps students build skills, fine-tune goals, and earn micro-credentials that align with their chosen life and career paths. A group of eight SOAR students just completed a class in January called Working Smart that focused on skills such as problem-solving, communication, and time management.
Through another existing program, Project SEARCH, A-B Tech students work with the Biltmore Estate in internships that prepare them for jobs with local employers. Graduates have found employment at businesses including Lowes, Mission Hospital, and MOD Pizza.
Dr. Barbara Fedock, Coordinator of Adult Basic Education, oversees the SOAR program, coordinating with instructors across campus and designing a curriculum that caters to students’ specific interests and needs. Fedock said that…
Read the full article here
