Lillington - A Central Carolina Community College program that combines a high school-level education, job training, and workplace readiness skills is spelling success for six students at the college's Harnett County Campus.

Basic Skills Plus offers students the opportunity to train as a Nurse Aide I, earn a high school diploma or GED, and earn Career Readiness Certificates in the basic workplace skills of math, reading, and locating information. The courses are offered concurrently to enable the students to work on multiple goals in the same time period.

"North Carolina realized that a lot of students were not completing vocational programs," said Andre Mapp, CCCC Basic Skills Plus counselor. "We felt that if we could catch them while they were in the Adult High School or General Educational Development programs, we could help them make better career path choices."

The Basic Skills Plus program waives tuition for curriculum and continuing education classes within designated pathways. Several students received Golden Leaf Scholarships to assist with expenses such as childcare, uniforms, insurance, and state certification testing.

The Basic Skill Plus Nurse Aide I class started in August and finished in December. On Dec. 13, a pinning ceremony was held at the campus in Lillington for the first six students who completed their Nurse Aide I training: Nicole Thomas, Jalisa Hayes, Dominic Carucci and Ruby Guzman, all of Harnett County; Marsha Sander, of Sampson County; and Renee Brown, of Cumberland County.

"This is our first cohort of students who have completed the Basic Skills Plus Nurse Aide 1 course requirements, and we are thrilled to celebrate such a milestone," said Dawn Tucker, CCCC dean of College and Career Readiness.

So far, five of the students have also completed their adult high school or GED studies, graduating at the college's Adult High School/GED exercises on Jan. 30. At the graduation, Guzman was awarded the $1,000 Harnett County Scholarship to further her studies at the college.

Graduates Guzman and Marsha Sander are now enrolled in phlebotomy technician classes. Another Basic Skills Plus student is already working as a patient representative at the new Central Harnett Hospital.

"The Basic Skills Plus program has given me the opportunity to accomplish my goals faster," Sander said. "I was able to complete my GED and Nurse Aide I classes at the same time so I can get into the workforce faster."

Jalisa Hayes is a 22-year-old wife and mother of four who returned to school to earn her GED. The Basic Skills Plus program provided the opportunity to get her Nurse Aide I training at the same time.

"I studied hard, graduated and I am now looking for jobs and ready to start a new life with a new career," she said. "Not only did this program create a goal for me but it will make a goal accessible for many others in the near future."

For more information about the Basic Skills Plus program at the college in Chatham, Harnett and Lee counties, contact Andre Mapp at amapp@cccc.edu or call 919-718-7339.