College and Career Readiness
Finish high school. Get job training and work experience. Learn English. Enhance your independent living skills. Whatever your goal, your success is our priority.
College and Career Readiness offers programs to help meet many needs. We can help you develop academic skills, earn a high school equivalency (GED® or HiSET®) or adult high school diploma, learn English as a second language (ESL), develop employability skills and participate in various work-based-learning experiences, or explore career and post-secondary educational opportunities.
If you qualify, you may be able to do many programs for free or at a very low cost.
Enroll in College and Career Readiness Programs
Each College and Career Readiness program has different enrollment steps. The College and Career Readiness Intake and Advising Centers at each participating campus can help you enroll. All new College and Career Readiness students, or former students who have not attended class in 90 days, must attend a testing session prior to starting class. It is a quick and easy process. Classes are offered at four campus locations and several community sites. The length of the orientation process varies from one to three days, depending on the campus you choose.
Please visit each program page for eligibility, course schedule, and information on how to enroll in the program.
Career Planning and Job Training Programs
Career planning and job training programs combine College and Career Readiness classes with job training, career planning, interview and resume prep, free occupational training, real work experience, internships, soft skills certification, as well as opportunities to earn a high school credential while completing an occupational certificate. All of the following career planning and job training programs are offered at Central Campus:
- Accelerated Career Training (ACT)
- Career Development
- Caseworker Training: NC FAST and DSS Human Services
- ESL Plus
- NCWorks NextGen (Work and Learn)
- Pathways to Careers
- Rise2Work
Programs to Help You Finish High School
- Adult High School (available at Central Campus)
- High School Equivalency Exam (GED® or HiSET®) (courses available at Cato, Central, and Harper Campuses)
Learn English
Enroll in the College and Career Readiness English as a Second Language (ESL) program if you would like to learn English or improve your English language skills without earning college credit. ESL is available at the Cato, Central, Harper, and Levine Campuses. International students attending Central Piedmont on an F-1 visa cannot participate in College and Career Readiness ESL.
ESL Plus combines English language learning with career readiness skills for advanced ESL students.
Independence and Literacy Education for Adults with Disabilities (I-LEAD)
Independence and Literacy Education for Adults with Disabilities (I-LEAD) can help you increase your independence if you have an intellectual disability or traumatic brain injury. I-LEAD is available at Central Campus.
Disability Services
If you are in need of an interpreter or accommodations to complete testing and/or to attend class, learn how Disability Services can help you request accommodations.
Community Sites
In addition to classes at several Central Piedmont campuses, College and Career Readiness partners with several organizations in the community to provide high school equivalency exam (GED® or HiSET®) prep classes and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at their locations. Contact us for schedule and registration information if you are interested in taking classes at a community site.