HAMLET — Richmond Community College’s Next Steps program held a Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday to present students with Progress Awards and other certificates of achievement.
Dr. Dale McInnis, president of RichmondCC, spoke briefly before handing out certificates, noting this would be his last special event prior to his retirement on Thursday, Oct. 31.
“I could not think of any better way to close out my career here at RichmondCC,” McInnis said. “We are committed to providing education and training to all students with the goal of transitioning into higher education or the workforce. We have already seen how this initiative is changing the lives of many people by giving them meaningful and employable skills.”
RichmondCC was selected by the North Carolina Community College System to be part of a pilot program in a state effort to provide inclusive post-secondary education leading to employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Next Steps was started a year ago at RichmondCC, providing individualized, job-focused instruction and workforce preparation programs for adults with IDD.
At the Reception Ceremony, Progress Awards were presented to Next Steps students who had progressed from Bronze to Silver level by completing a career plan, identifying their career choice, and/or beginning a career training pathway. Those students were:
Students receiving certificates for completing Career Exploration were:
Students who received Digital Literacy certificates were:
A final award was presented to one Next Steps student who has really flourished in the program.
“In honor of Dr. Dale McInnis and his leadership, we have established the Dr. Dale McInnis Emerging Leadership Award,” said Dean of Adult Education Nicole Worley. “This will be a recurring award for a Next Steps student who demonstrates qualities of an emerging leader.” Employment and training opportunities for the Next Steps program are supported by the College's nursing and short-term training departments, as well as Food Lion of Rockingham and Mount Vernon Mills of Rockingham.
The award was presented to Dallas Jeter.
