Smart Horizons Career Online Education offers a high school diploma online accredited by Cognia/SACS/NCA/NWAC that enables employees to complete high school online while continuing to work. As part of the program, employees complete industry-specific coursework to earn a specialized Career Certificate that prepares them for success within their corporation. They also learn essential career skills that can be applied on the job, such as computer, communication, and management skills, as well as knowledge about professionalism in the workplace and common on-the-job issues.

Career Certificates such as Food & Hospitality,  Retail Customer Service, and Hospitality & Leisure were designed specially for corporate employees.

Read the CASE STUDY featuring outcomes for McDonald’s and Walmart from offering the program.

Benefits of the Program

SHCOE enables high school dropouts to graduate from high school and become educated, productive members of their communities and companies. A more educated workforce means:

• Increased Employee Retention: Employees who take advantage of tuition reimbursement tend to stay with the company longer, saving time and money on training and recruitment.
• Smarter Employees & Higher Performance: More education should help employees perform better. In many cases, that would mean either driving more revenue or reducing expenses. It also improves a company’s ability to promote from within, again cutting costs on recruitment and training.
• Tax Breaks: Corporate reimbursement program costs are tax-deductible up to $5,250/employee annually. Since the costs balance out and the company reaps the benefits of a smarter workforce, it’s a win-win.

Program Highlights

SHCOE employs an innovative curriculum aligned to the National Common Core Standards (NCCS), the convenience of an anytime-anywhere online learning platform, and interactive content that engages adult learners and helps them achieve their educational goals.

• Flexibility of anytime, anywhere access to courses—with 24/7 availability of online courses, employees can complete their diplomas while continuing to work full time
• Credit transferability—students can transfer in all previously earned courses in order to maximize their time and corporate resources
• A skills-based, career-focused curriculum—the program builds the skills that employees will need to succeed in their current organization
• Individualized support—academic coaches and highly qualified certified instructors provide academic and moral support

Targeted Certificate Tracks

• Retail Customer Service: For students working in retail corporations. Provides a comprehensive overview of skills critical to success in retail settings, with career coursework in areas such as management and customer service skills.
• Food & Hospitality: For students working in food service corporations. Includes courses such as Customer Service Skills and Food Safety, and prepares students for the Prometric Certified Professional Food Manager (CPFM) exam.
• Hospitality & Leisure: For employees working in the events, leisure, food services, tourism, and hospitality industries. The program teaches customer service, personal, and professional skills used in a wide variety of locations and settings.
• Professional Skills: For students working in various types of corporations. Develops general career skills in areas such as communication, technology, and time management, with targeted knowledge about common workplace issues and how to be successful, professional members of an organization.

Smart Horizons Career Online Education offers an Cognia/SACS/NCA/NWAC accredited online high school diploma program that prepares students for entrance into the workplace or postsecondary career training programs. The program engages high school dropouts back into the educational system, creating real-world opportunities for them. By partnering with Smart Horizons Career Online Education, library systems can support lifelong learning while fighting community deficits.

View infographic showing the program’s impact in the state of Florida.

View Case Study and Testimonials about the library program.

Benefits of Offering the Program at Public Libraries

The program employs an innovative curriculum aligned to the National Common Core Standards (NCCS), the convenience of an anytime-anywhere online learning platform, and interactive content that engages adult learners and helps them achieve their educational goals.

• Cognia/SACS/NCA/NWAC Accredited: Not only does it ensure the highest quality, but accreditation also means that graduates are eligible for federal student aid programs and can pursue additional education if desired.
• Better Outcomes than the GED: The curriculum is based on a master proficiency training model with better results than the GED.
• Furthers Libraries’ Missions: The program enhances educational and strategic missions, enabling libraries to empower members of their communities.
• Students Graduate “Ready for Work”: In addition to career coursework, students complete a Career Portfolio, which includes resumes, cover letters, and other important documents to aid them in career advancement.

Program Highlights

• A learning lab located at the library where students have access to computers, resources, and teaching support
• A skills-based, career-focused curriculum that builds the skills that students will need to obtain and succeed in jobs
• Individualized support from academic coaches, certified teachers, and onsite facilitators
• Credit transferability—students can transfer in all previously earned courses in order to earn their diplomas as quickly as possible
• Affordability—libraries can make use of funding to provide  affordable education to those they serve

Smart Horizons Career Online Education offers a fast-track Cognia/SACS/NCA/NWAC accredited program that prepares students for entrance into postsecondary career training programs and success in the workplace. Through a hybrid learning lab set up on college campuses, SHCOE offers a pipeline of enrollment into postsecondary institutions for students who still need to complete their high school diplomas.

Delivering quality, supportive, and career-based online high school education, SHCOE is proven to increase enrollments and positively impact student outcomes.

Benefits of the Program

SHCOE employs an innovative curriculum aligned to the National Common Core Standards (NCCS), the convenience of an anytime-anywhere online learning platform, and interactive content that engages adult learners and helps them achieve their educational goals.

• Accredited: Graduates with an accredited high school diploma are eligible for federal student aid programs.
• Proven Student Outcomes: The curriculum is based on a master proficiency training model with better results than the GED.
• 75% of Students Advance to Enrollment: The program increases students’ exposure to and loyalty toward your institution, resulting in an increased flow of eligible students for future enrollment into postsecondary career training programs.

Program Highlights

• A learning lab located on your campus where students have access to computer, resources, and teaching support
• Credit transferability—students can transfer in all previously earned courses in order to earn their diplomas as quickly as possible
• 24/7 access to courses—students can complete their courses anytime, anywhere
• A skills-based, career-focused curriculum that builds the skills that students will need to succeed in career college
• Individualized support from academic coaches, certified teachers, and onsite facilitators
• Affordability for both students and for postsecondary programs
• Fast-Track—Students can earn an accredited high school diploma online fast so they can move on to the next step in the educational careers

Smart Horizons Career Online Education currently operates the first and only online secondary programs offered in correctional institutions in the United States, and is the official provider of online education for prisons in the State of Florida. Wardens in the Florida Department of Corrections have praised the program for preparing incarcerated persons for reentry into society.

Our programs help correctional institutions increase their high school graduation rates through alternative, career-focused high school diploma programs designed for incarcerated adults, with the ultimate goal of reducing recidivism rates.

Highlights of our corrections programs:

• Proven Success Rates: 6 times more successful than GED programs for inmates with TABE scores of 5^th-9^th grade
• High-Level Security: End-point security software installed on inmate workstations and network firewalls restricts those incarcerated to the courseware—they cannot browse the Internet. The measures have proven entirely effective with zero breaches to date
• Over 70 academic and career-based, online semester courses
• A career-focused curriculum focused on preparing inmates for post-release employment—students graduate with both an Cognia/SACS/NWA/NWAC accredited high school diploma and a certification in a career area
• Time and monetary savings—those incarcerated can often earn an accredited high school diploma in less time than it would take them to prepare for and pass the GED, saving the institution money and classroom space with no security risk
• Training and support for corrections staff
• A track record of success with graduation rates

Why does it work?

• Subject-Matter Mastery vs. Seat Time: Students advance only after mastering the current assignment and are guided to spend more time in areas requiring additional attention.
• Individual Pacing: Performance-based instruction builds subject mastery at each student’s pace—not an instructor’s or group’s pace.
• Support: Students receive academic interventions through the institution’s onsite academic teachers, in addition to working with the school’s academic coaches and certified instructors as needed.
• Targeted Feedback: Specific, instant electronic feedback at regular intervals tells students exactly what they need to work on.
• Research-Based: The computer-assisted instruction approach is based on decades of research by leading scientists and U.S. government agencies such as the Department of Education and the Department of Defense.

This approach has proven effective with individuals who were unsuccessful in traditional academic environments. The program is based on the belief that all students can learn when provided with conditions appropriate to their situation.