Adult Basic Education (ABE)
The purpose of the Adult Basic Education program is to provide instruction to those individuals who are functioning below a ninth grade level. Instruction covers the fundamentals of mathematics, science, social studies, reading, and oral and written communication.
There are no fees or charges of any kind. All materials have been especially prepared for adults with emphasis on individual needs and interests. Upon the completion of ABE level courses, the adult should be equipped to enter the General Educational Development (GED) program.

Compensatory Education (CED)
SCC provides instruction for certified mentally handicapped individuals at Columbus County Industries. Individuals enrolled in this program learn skills that will enable them to function better in society. Areas of instruction include consumer education, community living skills, English, and math. For more information, interested persons should contact the Continuing Education Division.

English as a Second Language (ESL)
The English as a Second Language program is designed for individuals whose native language is not English. These classes provide instruction in conversational communication. Interested students are encouraged to enroll in the Basic Skills program in the college's Basic Skills Lab (B-103) and at locations throughout Columbus County.

Family Literacy
Using the Kenan Model for Family Literacy, SCC‘s Family Literacy Program encompasses the ways parents, children, and extended family members use literacy at home, at work, at school, and in their community. Components of the program include adult literacy, early childhood education, Parent and Child Interaction Time (PACT), and parenting skills. For program locations, interested persons should contact the Continuing Education Division at 642-7141, ext. 326.

General Educational Development (GED)
Those receiving an acceptable passing score on five sections of the GED test will receive a High School Equivalency Diploma awarded by the North Carolina Community College System. The five sections of the GED test are Language Arts – Writing, including an essay; Social Studies; Science; Language Arts – Reading; and Mathematics. The test is given approximately every month.

GED tests have been accepted as a valid means of awarding a high school diploma. Recent national surveys confirm that most employers and training programs accept GED diplomas in the same manner as traditional high school diplomas. In addition, students may enroll in any community college program with the GED diploma. Universities will accept GED graduates after they meet other admission requirements. (Students usually complete their first two years at a community college and then transfer to a four-year school.) Certain branches of the military will also accept GED graduates while some branches may have additional requirements.

Adults interested in obtaining a GED must first enroll in a class and meet testing requirements in order to pre-register for the test.

Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) is the nation’s principal workforce development legislation, providing funds to address the employment and training needs of dislocated workers, and low income adults and youth.

Funding for WIA comes from the U.S. Department of Labor and is administered by the NC Division of Workforce Development and the Cape Fear Council of Governments for Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender Counties.

WIA provides support to participants to increase their education, training, employment, earnings and job retention. The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the nation.

To be accepted for enrollment, primary consideration is given based on your work history, current education and skill levels as well as your ability to fully complete and benefit from a short-term (up to two years) vocational training program in an occupation based on the local labor market.

If you qualify and are accepted for enrollment in WIA, our trained case managers will:

• Assist you with developing an individual employment plan
• Give you financial assistance to help pay for your training program
• Help you access support services from the JobLink partners and other community agencies

You must apply for WIA in the county where you live. For Columbus County, you should apply at the Columbus County JobLink Career Center, located in A building at Southeastern Community College.

Human Resources Development (HRD) program

The Human Resources Development (HRD) program is designed to provide assessment services, employability training, and career development counseling to unemployed and underemployed individuals.  It is operated at every community college in North Carolina, providing HRD instruction and support necessary to serve unemployed and dislocated workers.  Unemployed, underemployed and dislocated customers may be eligible for fee waivers of training classes developed and operated within the HRD program guidelines. 

HRD provides skill assessment services, employability skills training, and career development counseling to unemployed and underemployed adults. HRD courses shall address six core components as follows:

1. assessment of an individual’s assets and limitations
2. development of a positive self-concept
3. development of employability skills
4. development of communication skills
5. development of problem-solving skills
6. awareness of the impact on information technology in the workplace

For more information about HRD classes, contact the Columbus County JobLink Career Center.

Located in A-Building, the Center is open Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday until 8 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Columbus County JobLink Career Center is chartered by the Cape Fear Workforce Development Board and the NC Dept. of Commerce as a Level 3 Center, the highest designation.

To provide individuals with opportunities for lifelong learning and cultural enrichment.

Community Service Self-Supporting Fee Structure

All Community Service classes are self-supporting. All persons enrolling in these courses are required to pay registration fees which are based on instructional costs associated with each class.

Driver Improvement

DO YOU HAVE A TICKET? IS IT FOR ONE OF THE FOLLOWING?

Speeding (20 mph or less over limit in 35 mph zone) or (15 mph or less over limit in all zones over 40 mph zone)

Defensive Driving classes are held on the first and third Saturday of the month from 8 am to noon on the Southeastern Community College campus. For more information or to register for a class, call (910) 642-7141, ext. 296 or 397.

Instructor-Facilitated On-line Learning
How to Get Started:
1. Visit our Online Instruction Center: www.ed2go.com/sccnc
2. Click the Courses link, choose the department and course title you are interested in and select the

Enroll Now button. Follow the instructions to enroll and pay $65 for your course. Here you will enter your e-mail and choose a password that will grant you access to the Classroom.
3. When your course starts, return to our Online Instruction Center and click the Classroom link. To begin your studies, simply log in with your e-mail and the password you selected during enrollment.

Requirements:
All courses require Internet access, e-mail, the Netscape Navigator, or the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browsers. Some courses may have additional requirements. Please visit our Online Instruction Center for more information.

For more information, contact Mary Ruth Edwards by e-mail at medwards@sccnc.edu or call (910) 642-7141, ext. 317.

Instructor-facilitated on-line courses are designed to provide opportunities to update personal/professional skills, discover a new talent, or chart a career path at one‘s own convenience and/or pace. Courses include, but are not limited to, the following:
A+ Certification
Advanced Web Pages
Basics to Building an On-line Business
Creating Multimedia for the Web
Discover Digital Photography
Medical Terminology
Speed Spanish

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Training
Classes are designed to meet the needs of local rescue departments with emphasis on emergency first-aid and safe transportation techniques. Courses include but are not limited to, the following:
Medical Responder
EMT-Basic
EMT-Intermediate
EMT-Paramedic
Advanced Cardiac Life Support
Pediatric Advanced Life Support
International Trauma Life Support

Fire Service Training
Fire Service Training is taken directly to the individual firefighting groups. Training sessions are held in the local fire departments, allowing personnel to be trained as an organized group and utilize equipment they would ordinarily use in controlling fires. Fire Service classes include, but are not limited to, the following:
FF 1 & 2 Certifications
Technical Rescuer – Both General and VMR Classes
Ropes Training
Structural Collapse Training
HAZMAT Level 1 Training – Includes Awareness and Operation levels
Driver Operator Training
Pump Operations Training
Aerial Operations Training
Fire Life Safety Educator Training
A more detailed listing of classes can be obtained by contacting the Continuing Education Division.

Law enforcement courses are specially designed as in-service and pre-service education for those engaged in law enforcement activities and are provided at the request of local law enforcement agencies. Program emphasis is on legal and technological law enforcement advancements. Workshops and courses such as the following are offered in many areas but is not limited to:
Division of Prison In-Service Training
Laws of Arrest, Search, and Seizure
Traffic Accident Investigation
Motor Vehicle Laws
Narcotics Investigation
Court Structure & Procedure
Police Administration
Operators School
Riot and Crowd Control
Criminal Investigation
Fingerprint Identification
Juvenile Law
Police-Community Relations
Firearms Training
Coping with the Drinking Driver
Chemical Tests for Alcohol
Computerized Speed Detection

Nurse Aide I
This course prepares graduates to provide personal care and basic nursing skills for the elderly and other adults. Emphasis is on the aging process including mental, social and physical needs of the elderly, patient‘s rights, nutrition management, elimination procedures, safe environment, restorative services, personal and special care procedures and activities, human body structure, function and related common disease/disorders, communication and documentation, death and dying, and role of the nurse aide and health team members. The course includes class, laboratory and clinical learning experiences. Satisfactory completion of the competency evaluation provided by NACES/Pearson Vue is required in order to apply for listing on the NC Nurse Aide I Registry. Upon satisfactory completion of the course and the competency evaluation the graduate may apply for listing as a Nurse Aide I with the N.C. Division of Health Services Regulation. In all employment settings, the listed Nurse Aide I will work under the direction and supervision of licensed personnel. Prerequisite: High School Diploma or GED.

Nurse Aide II
The Nurse Aide II course prepares graduates to perform more complex skills for patients or residents regardless of the setting. A skill/competency evaluation is required for documenting student competency. The course includes class, laboratory and clinical learning experiences. Upon satisfactory completion of the course and skill/competency evaluation, the graduate is eligible to apply for listing as a Nurse Aide II with the North Carolina Board of Nursing Nurse Aide II Registry. In all employment settings, the listed Nurse Aide II will work under the direction and supervision of licensed personnel. Prerequisite: High School Diploma or GED and current listing on the N.C. Nurse Aide I Registry.

Course Admission Requirements
SCC Requirements

• Complete and return the SCC Application for Admission.
• Submit a copy of high school diploma or GED certificate.
• Complete the reading portion of the placement assessment. Reassessment may be done only once but no earlier than three months after the first assessment.
• Meet with an SCC counselor.

Nurse Aide I and/or Nurse Aide II Reading Requirement
Completion of RED 070, Essential Reading Skills, with a grade of C or better or test out of the course through the placement assessment. If the minimum score is not attained on the placement assessment, reassessment may be done after spending 35 documented hours on reading in the Basic Skills Lab.

Continuation
Enrollment and continuation in nurse aide courses is contingent upon the submission of the required documentation on or before the specified date communicated by the college. Admission requirements include but are not limited to:

• Malpractice insurance (paid upon registration for class)
• OSHA training
• Certification from students of ability to perform essential functions
• Certification from students that provides evidence that they meet the conditions of physical health and/or physical capability at a level that is acceptable to and in keeping with safe nursing care to the public.
• Certification from students that provides evidence that they meet the conditions of emotional health at a level that is acceptable to and in keeping with safe nursing care to the public
• Completed health form with current physical examination (done within last 9 months)
• TB test within last nine months
• Immunizations (required)
• Three tetanus vaccines (one within last 10 years)
• Two MMRs or two rubeolas, one rubella and one mumps or positive titers
• Immunizations (strongly recommended and waiver required)
• Hepatitis series
• Varicella or positive titer

Available in the office of the Dean of Allied Health is a copy of the SCC Allied Health Division Medical Records and Health Certification Form with detailed admission requirements, along with a description of the essential functions of the program which students must be able to perform.

Students accepted into nurse aide courses with previous physical, emotional, or behavioral problems which conflict with the safety essential to nurse aide practice must provide professional certification that appropriate treatment and/or counseling has taken place and that the problem has been adequately accommodated.

Eligibility for Listing on Nurse Aide I Registry and Nurse Aide II Registry
Students earning a grade of S in the Nurse Aide I course will receive a certificate of course completion from SCC and will be eligible to apply for the written and skills competency examinations administered through NACES/Pearson Vue. Students must successfully complete the written and skills competency examinations administered by NACES/Pearson Vue to be eligible to apply for listing on the NC Nurse Aide I Registry with the NC Division of Health Services Regulation.

Applicants who are currently listed on the Nurse Aide I Registry and who meet current Nurse Aide II course admission requirements may enroll in Nurse Aide II. Students earning a grade of S in the Nurse Aide II course will receive a certificate of course completion from SCC and will be eligible to apply for listing on the NC Nurse Aide II Registry with the NC Board of Nursing.

Relationship with Clinical Agency
From a safety perspective, the users of alcohol and drugs may impair the well-being of themselves and the persons they serve in the clinical setting. In addition, the contract between SCC and a clinical agency requires that the college abide by the existing rules and regulations of the agency. Clinical agencies may require acceptable criminal background checks and drug screens prior to participating in clinical. The college follows agency protocol regarding drug screening and criminal background checks. The college agrees to not assign or to withdraw any student from the clinical agency when the students are unacceptable to the agency because of health, performance, a positive criminal background check, or other reasonable causes. Without access to the clinical facilities, students will be unable to satisfactorily complete the nurse aide courses.

Students may be required, at their own expense, to be tested for consumption of alcohol/drugs for cause at any time while in this program. Clinical sites control and can refuse to allow an individual to work in their facility.

Dismissal of Students
Faculty teaching nurse aide courses follow published college and Nursing Department policies and practices that provide for identification and dismissal of students who do the following:

• Demonstrate physical or emotional problems which conflict with the safety essential to nursing practice and do not respond to appropriate treatment and/ or counseling within a reasonable period of time.

• Demonstrate unsafe clinical practices or behavior which conflicts with safety essential to nursing practice.

Students who demonstrate behavior that conflicts with safety essential to nursing practice can be dismissed from nurse aide courses regardless of whether treatment or counseling has occurred. Readmission of students who were dismissed from the program for physical, emotional, or behavioral problems which conflicted with the safety essential to nurse aide practice is contingent on professional documentation that appropriate treatment and/or counseling has taken place and that the problem has been adequately accommodated.

The mission of the Small Business Center is to increase the success rate and number of viable small businesses in North Carolina by providing high quality, readily accessible assistance to prospective and existing small business owners and their employees. The Small Business Center is a community based provider of education and training, counseling, information and referral.

The Center works cooperatively with business, civic leaders and organizations, state and local government, universities and other community colleges, and local secondary schools in promoting assistance and education in the small business arena. It provides facility management and technical support for the Business Development Centers (small business incubators) in the towns of Brunswick and Tabor City in cooperation with Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation; operates a Microenterprise Loan Program that provides technical training and access to individual loans from $500 to $25,000 for business start-up or expansion in Columbus County; and offers entrepreneurship training for adult students through REAL—Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning.

For more information, interested persons should call the Small Business Center at 642-7141, ext. 419.

Career Readiness Certificate (CRC)

North Carolina's Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) is designed to meet the needs of both employers and job seekers in this transitioning economy.

For employers, the CRC offers a reliable means of determining whether a potential employee has the necessary literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills to be "job ready."

For job seekers, the CRC serves as a portable credential that can be more meaningful to employers than a high school degree or a resume citing experience in a different job setting.

The CRC is based upon WorkKeys, a nationally recognized, skills assessment tool developed by ACT Inc. Individuals can earn three levels of Career Readiness Certificates based on their test performance in Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information. The different levels earned – bronze, silver and gold – signify increasing levels of difficulty in each area.

To earn a CRC, contact the Columbus County JobLink Career Center at 910.642.7141 ext. 261. You can arrange to take the WorkKeys assessments, take pre-assessments to determine your skill levels and/or use computer-based software to improve your skills.

Customized Industrial Training (CIT)
The Customized Industrial Training Program is designed to provide customized training assistance in support of full-time production and direct customer service positions created in Columbus County, thereby enhancing the growth potential of companies located in the county while simultaneously preparing Columbus County‘s workforce with the skills essential to successful employment in emerging industries.

In order to receive assistance, eligible businesses and industries must demonstrate two or more of the following criteria: The business is making an appreciable capital investment; The business is deploying new technology (Technology Investment); The business is creating jobs, expanding an existing workforce, or enhancing the productivity and profitability of the operations within the State (Job Growth); and The skills of the workers will be enhanced by the assistance (Productivity Enhancement).

For more information, call 642-7141, ext. 208.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Training
Classes are designed to meet the needs of local rescue departments with emphasis on emergency first-aid and safe transportation techniques. Courses include but are not limited to, the following:
Medical Responder
EMT-Basic
EMT-Intermediate
EMT-Paramedic
Advanced Cardiac Life Support
Pediatric Advanced Life Support
International Trauma Life Support

Fire Service Training
Fire Service Training is taken directly to the individual firefighting groups. Training sessions are held in the local fire departments, allowing personnel to be trained as an organized group and utilize equipment they would ordinarily use in controlling fires. Fire Service classes include, but are not limited to, the following:
FF 1 & 2 Certifications
Technical Rescuer – Both General and VMR Classes
Ropes Training
Structural Collapse Training
HAZMAT Level 1 Training – Includes Awareness and Operation levels
Driver Operator Training
Pump Operations Training
Aerial Operations Training
Fire Life Safety Educator Training
A more detailed listing of classes can be obtained by contacting the Continuing Education Division.

Law Enforcement Training
Law enforcement courses are specially designed as in-service and pre-service education for those engaged in law enforcement activities and are provided at the request of local law enforcement agencies. Program emphasis is on legal and technological law enforcement advancements. Workshops and courses such as the following are offered in many areas but is not limited to:
Division of Prison In-Service Training
Laws of Arrest, Search, and Seizure
Traffic Accident Investigation
Motor Vehicle Laws
Narcotics Investigation
Court Structure & Procedure
Police Administration
Operators School
Riot and Crowd Control
Criminal Investigation
Fingerprint Identification
Juvenile Law
Police-Community Relations
Firearms Training
Coping with the Drinking Driver
Chemical Tests for Alcohol
Computerized Speed Detection

Occupational Extension
Occupational extension courses are designed to provide training in a specific area. These courses may teach a new skill or upgrade present skills, leading to job promotion, supplemental income, or employment. Instructional activities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Introduction to Personal Computers and Windows
Cosmetology License Renewal
Construction Trades
Notary Public
Electrical Contractors License Prep
Electrical Contractors License Renewal
Spanish in the Workplace
NC Vehicle Safety Inspection
Computer Multi-Media
PowerPoint
Navigating the Internet
Microsoft Publisher
Nurse Aide I & II (See Course Admission Requirements, p. 449)
Medical Billing & Coding
Medical Transcription
Medical Terminology
Career Exploration
Nurse Aide Refresher
Commercial Driver‘s License Preparation

Continuing Education
SCC strives to make classes and programs accessible throughout the county. Classes are offered in places such as the Columbus County and Whiteville school systems' facilities, rescue squad facilities, fire departments, industrial training centers, business locations, churches, and community centers. The courses offered in off-campus settings meet the same criteria as do classes being offered on campus.  

Monarch Columbus Industries
Monarch Columbus Industries, located in downtown Whiteville, is a public non-profit organization offering vocational and personal development programs for mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, and physically disabled adults 16 years of age or older who cannot maintain competitive employment and/or function effectively in the community. SCC provides instructors who teach consumer education and community living skills.

Department of Corrections
SCC sponsors a training program at Columbus Correctional Institution, a medium security prison, and at Tabor Correctional Institution, a maximum security prison, for felons in Columbus County. Inmates may earn the GED or workforce development (Continuing Education) certificates through courses offered by SCC.