- 26% of students entering the ninth grade in Virginia do not receive their high school diploma within four years,
- 60% of students do not continue to postsecondary education, and
- National data indicate that individuals with an associate degree annually earn $7,500 more than high school graduates and $15,000 more than individuals without a high school diploma.
It is out of this context that the VCCS launched a groundbreaking new statewide initiative: Career Coaches.
Career coaches are community college employees housed in local high schools (for a complete list of career coaches and the high schools they serve, please click here) . Coaching helps "middle majority" students—the mainstay of the emerging workforce—prepare for college and careers. Career coaches offer unique benefits to students that traditional guidance counseling may not, such as direct access to college programs and services, postsecondary faculty, and business and industry.
The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) began the career coaches program in Jan. 2005 with 11 coaches based at 13 high schools. Today, more than 90 career coaches serve students in more than 135 high schools throughout the Commonwealth. In 2006-07, career coaches:
- Contacted over 46,500 students.
- Guided 14,862 students into early college programs.
- Assisted 14,656 students to develop career and educational plans.
Preliminary data indicate program success in secondary-postsecondary partnerships, student interest in higher education and careers, and participation of business and industry as reported by high school principals.
For high schools that had a career coach:
- 40% of students without college plans now plan to enroll in higher education
- Community college enrollments are 7% higher from high schools that have career coaches
- Enrollment in Engineering Technology and Information Technology is 19% higher
- 70% of principals report a stronger relationship with their community college
- 95% of students report satisfaction with their Career Coach experience
Program Contact:
M. Elizabeth Creamer
Director, Postsecondary Perkins/Tech Prep
Virginia Community College System
(804) 819-4691
ecreamer@vccs.edu