Guarantee for Job Competency
If a recipient of a Certificate of Completion or an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree is judged by his/her employer to be lacking in workforce job skills identified as exit competencies for his/her specific certificate or degree program, the graduate will be provided up to nine (9) tuition-free credit hours of additional skill training by Vernon College under the conditions of the guarantee policy. Special conditions which apply to the guarantee are listed below.
- The graduate must have earned the Certificate of Completion or the A.A.S. Degree in a Career and Technical Education program identified in the Vernon College catalog.
- The graduate must have completed requirements for the Certificate of Completion or the A.A.S. Degree at Vernon College, with a minimum of seventy-five (75%) percent of credits earned at Vernon College.
- The graduate must be employed full-time in the area directly related to the area of the program concentration as certified by the Vice President of Instructional Services.
- Employment must commence within 6 months of graduation.
- The employer must certify in writing that the employee is lacking entry-level skills identified by Vernon College as program exit competencies and must specify the areas of deficiency within 90 days of the graduate’s initial employment with the employer.
- The employer, graduate, Vice President of Instructional Services, job-placement counselor, and appropriate faculty member will develop a written educational plan for retraining.
- Retraining will be limited to nine (9) semester credit hours related to the identified skill deficiency and to those classes regularly scheduled during the period covered by the retraining plan.
- All retraining must be completed within a calendar year from the time the educational plan is agreed upon.
- The graduate and/or employer are responsible for the cost of books, insurance, uniforms, fees and other course-related expenses.
- The guarantee does not imply that the graduate will pass any licensing or qualifying examination for a particular career.
- Only course work taken within 5 years prior to graduation will be covered.
- The guarantee does not include proficiency in computer software upgrades and technology improvements made after a student has successfully completed a course.
A student’s sole remedy against Vernon College and its employees for skill deficiencies shall be limited to nine (9) semester credit hours of tuition-free education under the conditions described above.
Activation of this guarantee may be initiated by the graduate by contacting the Vice President of Instructional Services within 90 days of the graduate’s initial employment.