A new partnership between Lincoln University, Linn State Technical College, and several Jefferson City businesses will allow students to earn credit that could go toward either school.
Last year, Governor Jay Nixon announced $9 million in grants that would establish what he calls “Innovation Campuses” throughout the state. They’re not actual campuses, but new approaches to advance training for high-demand careers.
The Central Missouri Innovation Campus will allow credits to easily transfer between high schools, Lincoln University and Linn State. Governor Nixon said the idea is to allow students to earn degrees and enter the work force more quickly.
“Students will have the opportunity to earn college credits while still in high school, and then when they get to the college level, either at Linn Tech or at Lincoln, they’ll be able to move forward more quickly and articulating between these two organizations," Nixon said. "We can literally accelerate careers for jobs that exist and will exist in the near future here."
Linn State President Don Claycomb said he hopes that partnership will increase student interest in information technology careers.
“Sometimes traditionally students haven’t realized what they’ve gotten into in a career path until they’ve gotten into college, and in some cases they didn’t realize until they’ve gotten out of college," Claycomb said. "So, by involving the business community we think this has an opportunity to better educate better prepare students for what they’re getting into as far as a career path.”
Several Businesses including Central Bank, High 5 Communications, and RKV Technologies are involved in the partnership. Claycomb said they will provide internships to students participating in the program.