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Last updated on Friday, September 25, 2015
(SHELBYVILLE) - With the cost of college education continuing to rise, one Indiana county is trying to help local students receive a post-high school degree.
RTV6 reports, the Shelby County Council and Shelbyville City Council passed a proposal to create "Advantage Shelby County," a program offering free college at Ivy Tech to recent high school graduates. The program is the first of its kind in Indiana.
"Something like this could be transformational," Shelbyville Mayor Tom DeBaun said in a statement. "We're investing directly in our residents and our workforce. This program is designed around our economy with the goal of retaining and developing talent and providing a valuable workforce to our employers."
Beginning with the class of 2016, students are eligible to attend Ivy Tech Community College at the Shelbyville site, as long as they meet certain qualifications.
Those qualifications are:
There are three pathways in the program: Advanced Automation and Robotics Technology, Business Administration and General Studies with a Transfer General Education Core, which will help students if they want to transfer to a four-year college in Indiana.
Advantage Indiana will be funded by city and county revenue from the Indiana Grand Racing and Casino.
"We see this as an opportunity to increase investment in the community," said Chris King, president of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce. "We think it's a model other communities across the state could potentially look at and hope to adopt as well."
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