Catawba Valley Community College recently welcomed members of the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) to campus to take a look at the newly launched Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled (IDD) pilot program.

CVCC was selected by NCCCS this past August as one of two community colleges in the state to start this IDD pilot program, which will help develop Best Practices for IDD programs for community colleges across the state.

Those in attendance toured CVCC’s Adult Basic Education (ABE) program on the East Campus before visiting the Workforce Solutions Complex on the main campus. Following the tour, members of Catawba Valley Community College’s IDD implementation team gave a presentation and discussion about the pilot program.

Since 2017, Catawba Valley Community College has maintained an ABE career pathway as well as an extremely successful Employ-ABILITY Pathway — helping to prepare ABE students in finding the right types of jobs following their completion of the ABE program.

CVCC’s Adult Basic Education Academy currently consists of 46 students on both main campus in Hickory and the Alexander Center for Education in Taylorsville. Each of these students participate in the Working Smart Program and take courses in employability skills, computer literacy, digital literacy, hospitality & tourism, marketing and other vocational classes through Workforce Development and Human Resources Development.

As a result of the IDD Pilot Project, CVCC has been able to expand its existing classes to include opportunities for credentials, certifications, pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships in specific program areas, including high-demand careers such as manufacturing and early childhood.

For more information on the Adult Basic Education Academy at Catawba Valley Community College, please visit https://bit.ly/3Qh24l7