Lake-Sumter State College officially opened its South Lake Campus doors to Lake Technical College’s Practical Nursing program (LPN) in a shared facility and lab arrangement. There are 25 students in the LPN class, of which both institutions hope to be first of many program partnerships in the future.
Since most of Lake Tech’s programs are located at the Eustis or Tavares campuses, it has not always been convenient for students in the southern part of the county who want to go through the program. Dr. Diane Culpepper, Executive Director of Lake Technical College, said, “With the addition of our LPN program on the beautiful LSSC South Campus, we are now able to provide accessible training to students in that area. In the past, some of our LPN graduates have desired to pursue their nursing degree. Having students already on the LSSC campus will make the transition to their nursing program smoother, thus providing the optimal educational experience to Lake County’s future workforce.”
This program opportunity is just one facet of the growing partnership between the colleges. In the coming months, they will work together to determine better credit transfer articulation agreements for various programs. The President of Lake-Sumter State College, Dr. Stanley Sidor, said, “The certifications students earn at Lake Tech can be articulated to our transcript to help earn the associate degree, bachelor’s degree and higher credentials they need move up the career ladder. Since many of our students are career or place bound and we are the local and lowest cost provider, this partnership will open doors now closed for our residents.”
Over the next few years, Lake County businesses and industries will surely benefit from this expanding relationship between the educational institutions as they strive to keep Lake County’s best right here at home.