Page 26 - Chester County Chamber - 2019 Guide and Business Directory

EDUCATION
CHESTER COUNTY CHAMBER
Ready for the Future
Chester County educational institutions prepare a 21st-century workforce
From pre-k to Ph.D., the educational choices in Chester County are top notch. Public, private and parochial schools are plentiful, and the county’s colleges and universities make choosing to stay near home an attractive option.
Chester County’s educational excellence matches its school choice. Graduation rates average about 93 percent across the county, well above the state average of 86. Some schools boast 100 percent graduation rates. Likewise, attendance, test scores, Advanced Placement enrollments and college acceptances rank among
the best in the state. At least half of the county’s residents hold bachelor’s degrees.
Chester County schools are also seeing a trend in career-technical education and workforce development as they strive to make their instruction relevant and create a pipeline not only to college but also to high-priority occupations in the county.
Delaware County Community College, with six campuses in Chester County, keeps its focus on workplace needs as it offers career and certificate programs, noncredit courses and specific programs to enhance workers’ skills. It also has transfer programs for those wishing to go on to four-year institutions — altogether, offering 60 degree programs and transfer agreements with 40 colleges. In addition, the community college works with area high schools to offer dual enrollment so students can get a head start on college.
Church Farm School
The two Chester County Technical High Schools combine work- place preparation with the county’s academic requirements. Public high school students can enroll in the technical schools’ half-day programs in one of 80 sequences. Students receive their diplomas from their home schools with a certificate of completion in special- ties such as culinary arts, information technology and nursing.
In higher education, Penn State at Great Valley also has its eye on the local workplace. As a graduate school of professional studies, Penn State has 650 on-campus students and about 550 who study online for its master’s degrees, graduate certificates and noncredit professional development. The age of the average student is 31, often adults who are changing careers or strengthening their skills and knowledge for their current jobs.
Bishop Shanahan High School, a Catholic coeducational secondary school in Downingtown, partners with two area colleges — Immaculata University and Neumann University — for dual-credit programs. Qualified students who want to explore
a career or jumpstart their college courses can get high school and college credit. Bishop Shanahan, with an enrollment of 1,200, is the only archdiocesan high school in the county. Workforce
Church Farm School
Chester County Collegium Charter School
24 Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry