College & Career Readiness courses at RCC skyrocket

With COVID fading into the distant past, enrollment in College and Career Readiness courses have skyrocketed at Robeson Community College, with the division experiencing an increase of 117% compared to this time last year.

“We are seeing a good rebound after COVID, we can probably do even more,” stated James Mitchell, the Director of College and Career Readiness at RCC.

College and Career Readiness encompasses six targeted programs – adult high school, high school equivalency, adult basic education, English as a second language, family literacy, and adult basic education transition.

CCR classes are free and created specifically for adults. Each of the six programs is designed to improve reading, writing, functional mathematics and communication skills so that students can better achieve their goals in life as well as a career. Classes are designed to offer flexibility to allow students the ability to take classes without disrupting their work schedule.

“We know the best way to reach our students is through a face-to-face delivery model so that we can give our students the quality instruction that they need,” Mitchell said. “Students trusting us is also important, we deliver instruction safely post-COVID, and we have the ability to meet day and night, on campus and throughout various locations in the county.”

One location that Mitchell says bring a great deal of pride is at the Lumberton Correctional Institute.

“It’s an important relationship,” stated Mitchell. “We are helping people to rehabilitate and transition back into society.”

Mitchell says that during COVID, access to teach in the prisons was shut down, but now that the number of outbreaks has decreased, we were able to rekindle RCC’s presence on prison grounds.

“We had 11 graduates from the prison in 2022, 73 overall,” Mitchell says.

In addition to working with the criminal justice system, Mitchell also sees opportunity for growth by partnering with various agencies in the county.

“We have a partnership with Lumberton Housing Authority,” Mitchell said. “We are looking to reopen another site with them in the near future.”

The Fairmont Heritage Building is another location that Mitchell says he hopes to reopen soon, as well building relationships with the Public Schools of Robeson County to offer more locations for Adult High School and ESL classes throughout the county.

“We are doing everything that we can to recruit and retain our students, we want to make sure that our students stay and complete the training they need,” stated Mitchell.

“I am proud of the people I work with because I know how hard they work and the effort that they go through to retain and recruit, and this is proof that what they do works and I hope they are as proud as I am in seeing this increase in numbers,” stated Mitchell. “I work with great people.”

He adds, “I love being able to make a difference and knowing that I’m helping people to finish a high school diploma or get a job, that is what keeps me going.”

If you are interested in completing a high school diploma or high school equivalency, refreshing skills through adult basic education, or learning to speak English through RCC’s College and Career Readiness Division, please contact James Mitchell at 910-272-3608 or jmitchell@robeson.edu.