From staff reports

Jefferson State Community College will offer a free program for displaced workers at the Clanton and Pell City campuses this spring semester.
The program will include a classroom component and a hands-on component for people interested in jobs in healthcare or manufacturing.
Those interested should attend a career fair at Jeff State’s Clanton campus on Wednesday, Jan. 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There, individuals may either enroll or see if they are eligible.
The classroom component consists of two levels of training. The first is a three-week course of basic work skills such as computer, reading and resume writing. After this course, participants much choose either healthcare or manufacturing/welding.
The second level is a month-long course of field-specific training.
The final two-week period is the hands-on component. For Clanton students, this portion will be held at LeCroy Career/Technical Center.
Classes begin Jan. 11 in Pell City. An exact date for Clanton has not been announced, but Kay Potter of Jeff State said it will be spring 2010.
There is space for only 30 students at Clanton.
A career counselor will be available Jan. 20 to discuss courses. For more information, contact Christine Mclane at (205) 856-6056.

By Jan Griffey

Jefferson State Community College’s enrollment continues to set record pace at its Clanton branch.
The college celebrates its first anniversary with a campus here this month.
“We were pleased with our enrollment to start out with. We had a little bit of a challenge when we started because our facility was not complete,” said Keith Brown, Jeff State’s dean of campus development and campus/legal services.
The college’s branch in Clanton saw a “tremendous increase” in its spring enrollment, he said.
“Then, we saw a level enrollment from spring to summer. Usually you have a sharp decline in the summer,” Brown said.
Jeff State in Clanton saw another sharp increase in enrollment this fall.
“That tells me we are in the right place, that there’s a need there. The students are in need of our educational services,” he said.
Jeff State had a head count this fall semester of 369 students, up from about 250 during the spring semester.
Brown said the demographic of students is varied.
“It’s a mix. Usually, younger students go to classes in the day and older students at night. Here, we have a pretty even disbursement between day and night,” he said.
Day students at Jeff State Clanton number 260, while 247 students are enrolled for night classes.
“Obviously, that means some students are taking classes both day and night. However, what’s unusual from what we have experienced at other locations is we see a bit of a decline in the number of students enrolled at night. In Clanton, that number is about even,” Brown said.
That fact, he said, means Clanton area residents have enrolled because they want additional job training or additional classes to help with a job search.
“When you look at students who are most in need of our services, it’s in Clanton. There is not another college close by. You have to have colleges where the students are. Not everyone can drive 60 miles one way to take classes,” he said. “We are in the right place (in Clanton).”
Brown also said he and others at Jeff State are eager to hear feedback from the community.
“If there are classes we need to offer, we want to hear about that,” he said.
Brown said he was in a conversation with someone from Clanton who said they would like to take a Spanish class if offered in the evening.
“I called the dean of instruction and we are looking at offering that class during the spring,” Brown said. “Community colleges are just that — community — in every sense of the word. We’re there to offer what Clanton and Chilton County want and need. We welcome any suggestions.”

By Scott Mims

Huntingdon College is partnering with Jefferson State Community College to offer a four-year business degree program at Jeff State’s Clanton campus.
The “parallel program” divides each semester into three five-week sessions of accelerated courses. Each course is held one night per week.
Those who complete the 120-hour program earn a fully-accredited Bachelor of Science degree in business management.
“The degree is not a watered down degree,” said Douglas Rogers, site coordinator for Huntingdon’s School for Business and Professional Studies. “When people graduate from the program, they have a degree from Huntingdon.”
While the weekly courses are intensive, they are designed with the busy adult’s schedule in mind. And the benefits for Chilton County residents are obvious — higher education offered close to home.
“We have students that have come straight from junior college, and we have students that have been out of school for 20 years,” said Patsy Maddox, assistant site coordinator at the Shelby campus.
Minimum requirements to enter the program are 30 credit hours and a 2.0 GPA. Anyone with a two-year associate’s degree can automatically enter.
Rogers pointed out that the accelerated style of coursework is demanding, which means students with families may take longer to earn their degree.
“This is not an easy thing, and you’ve got to want to do it,” he said.
Larry Anderson, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Clanton, teaches religion courses at Jeff State. The BS degree requires a minimum of two religion courses.
“One of the things I appreciate is that Huntingdon is requiring religion classes in this non-traditional program,” he said.
Registration for the spring semester begins Nov. 16. Applications may be submitted online at huntingdon.edu/sbps.
For more information about the business program, call 888-462-5067.