June 4, 2004

For more information contact: Kimberly Stark 901-333-4023 or 901-489-4771

Southwest’s Professional Re-entry Education Program to hold orientation
and workshops


Southwest Tennessee Community College will conduct orientations June 6 - 10 with candidates for a career/education-counseling program that offers participants a fresh start in pursuing personal and career goals.

The six-week Professional Re-entry Education Program (PREP) is aimed at increasing the participant’s income and productivity. It is designed to serve single parents, displaced homemakers and dislocated workers who have the potential to succeed in a post-secondary institution, but may lack the initial financial resources to get started or the motivation to attend.

To aid in the motivation toward achieving career and personal goals, the program presents workshops on College Life, Positive Imaging, Career Options, Stress Management, Time Management, Money Management, Assertiveness Techniques, Employability Skills Training, Goal Setting and related topics. The program offers assistance in applying for federal aid and scholarships, and in establishing ongoing counseling relationships between participants and PREP counselors.

The PREP Program is offered at the College's Union Avenue Campus, located at 737 Union Avenue. Classes will be held June 22 – July 27 on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

To be eligible for the program, participants must be single parents, with parental custody; displaced homemakers or dislocated workers, have a high school diploma or GED, have not previously earned a college degree, have not been in school in the past two years and motivated to succeed.

For more information about the program call Miki Craft at (901) 333-5493.

Southwest, Tennessee’s largest two-year college, serves more than 12,000 students in Memphis, Shelby and Fayette counties, and the Tri-State area.

Southwest offers 39 programs for career studies and transfer, 37 two-year programs leading to immediate career entry through the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree, and more than 40 areas of interest in traditional university transfer programs through the Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree and the Associate of Science (A.S.) degree. In addition, Southwest offers Academic Certificate and Technical Certificate programs in 28 areas. Technical certificates are usually completed in no more than one year, and prepare students for immediate entry positions in high-demand, specialized fields.

Southwest, a Tennessee Board of Regents institution, is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.