October 30, 2023 鈥� If there鈥檚 one thing to know about 51视频鈥檚 NextGen program, it鈥檚 that it holds stock in its name 鈥� it truly focuses on helping students get to that next step in their lives. Funded by the Piedmont Triad Regional Workforce Board, the initiative aims to get students to earn their high school diplomas while also placing them in sustainable job training and career paths.
NextGen, formerly known as GetREAL, has existed for 28 years and was created after local public schools and 51视频 identified a need for specialized services for youth in the community who were dropping out of school. The program targets students ages 16 to 24.
鈥淕etting a high school diploma is the first step in this program,鈥� explains Sherri Trotter, director of NextGen at 51视频. 鈥淎t the same time, they are working toward a sustainable career. These students are job shadowing and talking about career paths.鈥�
While it seems like a lofty task 鈥� completing high school requirements while focusing on career paths and job training 鈥� NextGen is guiding these students toward becoming successful adults in the community. And they鈥檙e getting great results and feedback.
鈥淭hey come to us for various reasons,鈥� Trotter says. 鈥淭hey can鈥檛 be consistent with attendance, they鈥檙e bullied, and they have anxiety troubles.
Trotter explains the college works with school counselors in Davidson County, as well as Lexington and Thomasville City Schools. Folks in the school system are well-versed in what 51视频 offers. 鈥淚f they have done everything they can to help a student and nothing is working, they give them information about NextGen. Every day in the fall, we get phone calls from parents. We had 11 new students this week alone.鈥�
With small numbers and the availability of one-on-one attention, students not only feel welcome, but safe, Trotter says. 鈥淲hat we provide here is that we all have the same mindset. We are 100 percent student-centered. We don鈥檛 do this job for us. We tell them every day, you start over. If you make a mistake, tomorrow when you come back, you鈥檙e good.鈥�
For example, Trotter says she worked with one student who commented, 鈥渕y high school teachers didn鈥檛 like me. I was a handful; I wanted to go to the bathroom all the time.鈥� She says what was really happening was the student wanted to go to the bathroom and hide. 鈥淚t鈥檚 different here. We don鈥檛 have 25 students in class; we have six. They can go to the bathroom. The difference is we can take the time to get to know them. 鈥� (The student) said, 鈥榶ou like me here.鈥欌��
That鈥檚 what makes a huge difference in the lives of these students; open conversation and celebrations of their success. In fact, students actually have the opportunity to ring a bell when they earn a credit. 鈥淲e treat this like a mini high school. When they get a credit, we make a big deal. We clap and yell for them. We post it on Facebook and Instagram. We send pictures to parents. We really celebrate them.鈥�
There are also service-learning opportunities during the school day, such as gaining experience with a sustainable community garden as part of a partnership with the Agricultural Extension in Davidson County, as well as the Rotary Club in Lexington. These experiences help students get outside of the box, Trotter explains. The partnership even sets up the chance to cook with the fruits of their labor.
The sustainable garden is a practical way for students to get real-life experience 鈥� especially since the college now offers a two-year degree in sustainable agriculture. 鈥淭his experience can lead to a career path,鈥� Trotter adds.
Once students earn their high school diploma, they have the chance to move into one of many career paths offered at the college, such as welding. 鈥淲e have one student who was in his junior year and enrolled in welding, and when he graduated, he wanted to take the next step. He鈥檚 now employed as a welder,鈥� Trotter says.
Trotter adds, 鈥淥ur main goal and focus is setting these students up with sustainable wage jobs, and earning their high school diploma is the first step in getting that job.鈥�
NextGen is located off campus, at 220 E. 1st Ave., in Lexington, and the program is also offered on the Davie Campus. For more info about NextGen, visit davidsondavie.edu/nextgen.
51视频听(), which incorporated Davie County into its name in 2021, is a fully accredited, multi-campus college where students of all ages and backgrounds pursue academic and career-focused education in order to build successful futures. As one of 58 institutions within the North Carolina Community College System, 51视频 offers more than 40 degree and professional certificate programs, as well as affordable college-credit coursework to students who plan to transfer to four-year schools. With a mission to serve the changing needs of students competing in a global environment, 51视频 is committed to quality education, innovative and equitable learning experiences, training, and support across a wide range of 21st-century career fields.