Sixteen-year-old Preston Germain started his 2024 summer break in a new place – on an Iowa college campus. He, along with more than 2,100 students from across the state, participated in this year’s Summer College Credit Program, which offers college course opportunities at no cost to high school students during the summer months.

Preston, a sophomore from Hudson, enrolled this summer in his first college course, Intro to Automotive, at Hawkeye Community College. During this three-week, in-person course, Preston had the opportunity to explore the field, develop skills and earn college credit in the automotive class.

“It was something I always wanted to try,” he said. “I got to see what automotive really is and that it could be a possibility for a career in the future. It was a ton of fun and a great experience.”

For the past six years, the Summer College Credit Program has provided opportunities for students entering ninth through 12th grades to participate in college courses that support high-demand job fields. This year, over 40 career and technical education programs were offered in summer courses at Iowa’s 15 community colleges. Courses featured a wide-variety of program areas, including health sciences, applied sciences, technology and manufacturing, among others.

“We are pleased to provide another successful year in the Summer College Credit Program,” said Heather Meissen, administrative consultant for the Iowa Department of Education. “For the past six years, we have been able to supply $600,000 annually in state appropriated funding to help support the program, which allows students to get a jump-start on their postsecondary pathways.”  

Nearly 9,300 students have participated in the six years of the Summer College Credit Program, and demand for the program remains high each year. For fiscal year 2024, enrollment rose by 13.7 percent from the previous year and over 177 percent from the program’s initial year in 2019. In many cases, community colleges like Hawkeye see their program slots filled quickly.

“Our program filled within 10 minutes,” said Sarah Topliff, director of high school partnerships at Hawkeye. “We had nearly 250 students register for courses, and we had a wait list for almost every course.”

Hawkeye’s Summer College Credit Program served 22 school districts this year and offered seven different engaging courses, ranging from nutrition to criminal justice to psychology. Two of the courses, nurse aide and automotive, were offered as hybrid and in-person classes, respectively. Courses typically ran between three to eight weeks.

“We know what classes students are interested in,” Topliff said. ““We assess educators, administrators and students to understand which programs are beneficial for students as well as the community.”

Like other Summer College Credit Programs across the state, Hawkeye allows students to participate in courses at no cost. Tuition, books, tests and other equipment are covered through the program.

“The classes are all free,” Preston said. “You don’t lose anything, so it doesn’t hurt to try a class in the summer and see if you like it.”

Through the Intro the Automotive course, Preston and his fellow students gained valuable experience in several different areas, such as general career exploration, safety regulations, service advising, how to manage a dealership, standard equipment and more.

“We have many students who come into the class who have never been in an auto shop,” said Gerrot Jacobson, assistant professor of automotive technology at Hawkeye. “A lot of high schools don’t have access to these types of programs within their own buildings, so we can introduce them to new areas that may lead them to a career down the road or provide them with essential life skills they can use anywhere.”

Jacobsen worked closely with Preston and provided new hands-on opportunities and challenges during the course.

“When we can have a summer class and have students like Preston who are interested in exploring more, we get excited,” Jacobson said. “I threw a couple of extra things at him like having him pull a transmission. We had many opportunities for our students to learn more this summer.”

Along with hands-on career exploration and skill development, some Summer College Credit Programs also provided opportunities for students to earn industry-recognized credentials, which include certifications, credentials or licenses vetted by employers. This year, four unique credentials for Certified Nurse Assistant, OSHA-10 General Industry Training, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Certificate and Basic Welding Process Certificate were offered through nine summer programs across the state.

“Industry-recognized credentials easily align with many career and technical education courses offered through the Summer College Credit Program,” Meissen said. “Offering opportunities to earn both college credit and an industry-recognized credential is a huge win for students as they look beyond high school towards further education, training or the workforce.”

Although his first college course has wrapped up and the new school year is on its way, Preston is already looking forward to next summer.

“If they offer Auto II next year, I will do it again,” he said. “Just make sure the teachers are the same. Don’t change anything.”