LSSC Chosen for National Career and Technical Education Initiative

Lake-Sumter State College is one of 10 U.S. colleges, and the only one in Florida, selected to participate in the Pathways to Credentials initiative supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education.

The Pathways to Credentials initiative will provide technical assistance through the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD) for each college to address workforce needs in the community, and facilitate peer learning through the cohort.

“As we continue to meet the needs of our employers through workforce training and education, stackable credentials and certifications are crucial to our student’s career success, while saving them valuable time and money,” said Dr. Stanley Sidor, President of Lake-Sumter State College. “With assistance from national subject matter experts, the Pathways to Credentials program will allow us to learn best practices in workforce education from our colleagues across the country and share our own experiences in this critical area.” 

LSSC’s planned Associate of Science in Health Services Management is the focus of the project for LSSC’s workforce team. This new program prepares students for entry-level administrative jobs in hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, medical practices/groups, public health organizations, or the health department of a local, state, or federal government agency.

 In addition, LSSC will work with its own credit offerings, Continuing Education courses, and with Lake Technical College, Lake County Schools, and Sumter County Schools to identify industry credential offerings and opportunities that can be stacked (articulated) into the AS in Health Services Management.

 “The true value in our participation is that the lessons learned in our implementation of the health services management degree and the broader integration of stackable credentials will serve as a model for all of our workforce programs,” says Dr. Amy Albee-Levine, Dean of Workforce Development at Lake-Sumter State College. 

This initiative, which runs through July 2021, will ultimately help students enter the workforce by providing the College with resources to further align instruction and certification with current industry standards.