Lakeland Community College is partnering with area high schools to cultivate, diversify and grow talent in information technology and computer science (IT&CS). Several courses in the IT&CS College Ready Now program can double as high school and college credit, all at no extra cost.

Students will have the opportunity to begin taking college-level courses as early as their freshman year of high school, and by continuing the program through senior year, will have completed one full year worth of college credits. An accelerated track is available for students to begin in their junior year. Additionally, completed courses will prepare students to earn industry certifications in CompTIA and Oracle, earning standardized credentials proving skills and commitment to continued learning.

IT&CS College Ready Now is also partnering with regional employers to offer experiential learning opportunities in the industry. These partners include Lubrizol; Lake Health, now a part of University Hospitals; MCPc; Monreal IT Consulting; and Steris. Demand for jobs in IT&CS are projected to continue growing through 2030 with median salaries ranging from $55,000 to $126,000 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“The courses in this program span a variety of foundational IT skills including programming, cybersecurity, networking and databases,” says Sue Baker, IT&CS department chair and professor at Lakeland. “This allows students to select from a variety of IT&CS programs upon graduation from high school to continue to prepare for high-demand careers.”

Upon completion of the entire IT&CS College Ready Now program, students will graduate high school with Lakeland’s IT Specialist certificate, and all courses transfer to Lakeland and other Ohio public institutions. These students will be able to earn an associate degree from Lakeland with only one additional year of classes. This will give students a direct path into bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in IT&CS at a variety of other Ohio four-year schools.

Contact Lakeland professor Sue Baker for more information on enrolling in IT&CS College Ready Now at sbaker@lakelandcc.edu.

By: Adam Continenza, Mktg and Communications Spclst