
Gateway prepares Holmes High School students for careers
Gateway Community & Technical College and Covington Independent Public Schools will
sign a memorandum of agreement tonight at the Covington Board of Education Meeting.
This educational partnership will provide direct entry into advanced manufacturing
programs at Gateway.
The Gateway/Holmes Advanced Manufacturing Program (AMP) provides yet another opportunity
for students to complete high school, well on their way to a career, said Gateway
President/CEO Dr. Ed Hughes. We are pleased to partner with Holmes High School and
Covington Independent Public Schools to provide this pathway to the high-pay, high-demand
field of advanced manufacturing.
Holmes students can earn up to 25 college credits and a certificate in welding. The
courses completed in this program will be treated as dual credit for both institutions
and lead to careers in advanced manufacturing. This program will create a pipeline
of highly skilled workers for high paying advanced manufacturing jobs in Northern
Kentucky.
This partnership will address many needs, Covington Superintendent Alvin Garrison
said. It will prepare our students to get college and career ready, and it will help
meet the needs of the business community that seeks highly skilled workers.
Students who complete the program during their junior year will have the choice of
continuing to take targeted courses toward the Associate in Applied Science (AAS)
degree in welding technology or branch off and start other courses in advanced manufacturing
programs such as industrial maintenance technology, manufacturing engineering technology,
computerized manufacturing and machining or electrical technologies.
Upon high school graduation, students could have a certificate in tack welding, and
the hours invested in the certificate will apply toward an AAS degree. With the tack
welding certificate, high school graduates can go to work right away at an entry level
welding job.
The Advanced Manufacturing Program (AMP) will help Holmes students kick-start their
college career by earning college credits before they even graduate from high school,
said Shelby Krentz, Director of Early College Initiatives at Gateway. This will save
students time and money because they will graduate from Holmes with up to half of
the credits they need to earn their Associate degree. Most importantly, they will
have training and experience in this high-demand field and will have built confidence
in their ability to succeed.