October 19, 2015

 10 years ago Solanco has averaged 45% of all graduating seniors pursuing postsecondary training  cohort = 61%; Previous 5 yr. avg. = 58%  Of those students attending postsecondary, the majority of them are first generation and navigating can be difficult and cumbersome

 Recent trends show a growing trend in “gold collar jobs”  Three biggest industries in Lanc. Co today: ▪ Manufacturing ▪ Food Processing (Tyson, Pepperidge Farms, Turkey Hill, etc.) ▪ Agri-business

 Highest growth prospects for Lanc. Co. in 5 years: ▪ Engineering ▪ Pharmaceutical ▪ Health ▪ Live events business (Sound & lighting media, concert, etc.)

 Job prospects with only a traditional high school diploma, while available, will be highly competitive and have a lower mean salary over their lifetime  A strong work ethic, while important, can not be the sole “skill” a child possesses in this highly competitive market  The ability to navigate and understand all of the post- secondary opportunities will be paramount

 Began in 2005 in Virginia supported by monies from the Jack Kent Cooke endowment, with national expansion in 2007  In 2013, after much success, it became an independent non- profit and rebranded as the college advising corps  By 2013 the number of university partnerships had increased to 14 and the program was in place from coast to coast in select states

 The roots of the advising corps are in increasing the number of students attending post-secondary options, especially those that are first generation  Secondary goals also include guiding students’ career choices and opening up pathways to both students and parents in order to be able to navigate the post-secondary maze

 Through partnership with the college advising corps, career counselors can be contracted through the university to be injected into the school  The college/career counselor works in tandem with the current counseling staff, with the key difference being that their role is solely to advise on college and career pathways  The college/career counselor would also coordinate special college/career events at the school for both parents and students

 We have a growing number of students pursuing post- secondary and a large number of first generation students that could benefit greatly  The additional resource in the school not only benefits our students but also offers our current counseling staff the ability to increase their skill set in this area  Solanco parents and students have a dedicated resource to this endeavor and an individual who is a trained counselor at a fraction of the cost

 For the & School year we are looking to place a college and career advising counselor in our high school  We will be partnering with F & M college during the school year to locate our counselor  The cost of the program annually is $22,500 per year...  We currently have a verbal agreement for half of this cost to be paid each year for the two year term.