Students that earn Valencia College credits while enrolled as a Lake Nona High School student in qualifying high school courses must claim their Career Pathways Credits once they enroll at Valencia College by filling out a request form (click red button). Career Pathways credits are only available once a student has earned a high school diploma and enrolled at Valencia College.
Valencia College (VC) has partnered with Orange County Public Schools to offer high school students credits at VC who pass a test that VC gives each spring. More information can be found by visiting VC Career Pathways on the web.
Who Qualifies? Students in Digital Media 2 with a C or better average can take Valencia’s Career Pathways test for Digital Design. Students in Intro to IT with a C or better average can take Valencia’s Career Pathways Web Essentials test. Students can earn additional credits for becoming industy certified in Microsoft Office, Adobe Dreamweaver and Adobe Flash.
These Career Pathways tests are taken at Lake Nona High School and your teacher will submit your tests to Valencia for grading. If you pass the test, you will earn college credit at Valencia once you enroll. NOTE: Students must enroll at Valencia within 24 months after high school graduation or the credits will expire. Earning these credits in high school will keep you from having to take a similar course at Valencia, should you choose to enroll there upon graduation.
Why Career Pathways? Skills training: It’s not enough to know “about” something, you must also know how to “do” something. Skills, especially technical skills, are required in order to land a good job. Only 4% of the new jobs can be filled by people with the lowest skill levels.
Academic preparation: Students can begin their pursuit towards higher academics and technical skills by linking their high school studies to courses at Orange or Osceola county technical schools or Valencia College. This can lead to a two-year certificate, associate’s or a four-year college degree. All of this is offered free of charge to students enrolled in Business Technology/Digital Media Academy courses at Lake Nona High School.
Earn College or Technical Center Credits while in high school: After taking designated technical courses at their high schools, Career Pathways students participate in an assessment and are eligible to receive credit when they enroll at Valencia or the technical centers.
Save Time and Money: By earning college credit while in high school, students make a smooth transition between high school and college by not duplicating coursework and save time and tuition/book cost.