Vocational Skills Guarantee

It is the policy of the District 509 Board of Trustees that students graduating with an associate of applied science degree in an occupational program be guaranteed competency in the technical skills represented in the degree. Should the graduate not be able to demonstrate the basic skills expected to his or her employer, the student will be offered up to 15 credit hours of retraining at no additional cost, subject to the following conditions:

  1. The course work for the degree must have been completed at ECC.
  2. The student must have graduated within three years of initial enrollment.
  3. The student must be employed fulltime in a job directly related to his/her program of study within one year of graduation from the approved program at ECC.
  4. The employer must verify in writing within 90 days of the graduate’s initial employment that the graduate lacks competency in specific technical skills, as represented in the degree.
  5. Specific competencies must be identified and verified by the employer in written documentation submitted to ECC.
  6. The retraining must be limited to courses regularly offered by the college and completed within one academic year.
  7. A written retraining plan must be developed by the employer, the graduate and the appropriate instructional dean specifying the courses needed for retraining and the competencies to be demonstrated.
  8. Prerequisites, co-requisites and other admission requirements for retraining courses must be met and are not included in those courses covered in this policy.
  9. Should the student audit, withdraw or not receive a passing grade in a course identified in the retraining plan, it will be included in the offer of 15 credit hours.
  10. The board will waive tuition and lab fees for those courses identified in the retraining plan, but the student must be responsible for any other costs that might be associated with taking the course.

This policy does not apply to those programs in which the graduates are licensed, including, but not limited to, nursing.

The sole recourse available to participants enrolled in this guarantee program shall be limited to retraining in the same class with no recourse for damages, court costs, or any associated costs of any kind or right to appeal beyond those specified by ECC.