Dual Enrollment

WATERVILLE – Now that all programs at Mid-Maine Technical Center have achieved National Certification and/or State Licensing Standards, Mid-Maine TECH is focusing on a new initiative – Dual Enrollment Agreements with community colleges.
    “What dual enrollment does is it permits our students to enroll both here at Mid-Maine TECH and at a community college,” Mid-Maine TECH Director Mark Powers said. “So it really starts a transcript for our students and a GPA (Grade Point Average). It also recognizes the quality of instruction that we offer through our technical programs."
Mid-Maine TECH already has Dual Enrollment Agreements with Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC) and Central Maine Community College (CMCC) for five of its programs, and now plans to reach agreements with KVCC, CMCC, and other community colleges for the remaining programs.
    Mid-Maine TECH piloted the dual enrollment process during the last semester of the 2005-2006 year, issuing a total of 116 college credits to 37 students. It currently has Dual Enrollment Agreements for courses in its Automotive Technology, Electrical Technology, Emergency Medical Technician, Graphic Communications, and Precision Machining programs.
    Each Dual Enrollment Agreement establishes eligibility standards and a final grade that students must attain to earn college credit. Each student also needs the recommendation from his/her instructor at Mid-Maine TECH. College courses which credit is awarded are: Automotive Technology - CMCC course AUT120, Electrical Technology - KVCC courses ETL117, ETL121, Emergency Medical Technician - KVCC course EMS 111, Graphic Communications - CMCC course GAT151, and Precision Machining - CMCC course MTT111.
    In order to reach a Dual Enrollment Agreement, instructors from Mid-Maine TECH meet with instructors from a community college to compare curriculum, program standards, and identify common areas that exist. Both parties eventually sign a formal Dual Enrollment Agreement.
    “Our goal this year is to have all of our programs approved by a community college to award college credit, and we expect that we will be issuing over 500 college credits,” Powers said.
"The agreements encourage students to further their education after high school and gives them a head start when they do, and there are many other benefits," Powers said.
    “The other big plus with Dual Enrollment Agreements is that the instructors from the community colleges work extremely close with our instructors,” Powers said. “They visit our programs, they talk to our students, and we make visits to the college campuses so the students become familiar with them; so it definitely provides a major advantage for our students.”
    Mid-Maine TECH is a NEAS&C accredited institution, offering 26 career and technical courses in 14 well-equipped lab areas. Each technical program at Mid-Maine TECH has achieved National Program Certification and/or State Licensing Standards.