QUITMAN — A wheelchair-bound person should be lifted using one’s legs and with the back and neck straight.

If an elderly person starts to fall, a person should not try and catch them, but rather assist in softening the landing.

These are the concepts and training several Brooks County High School students are learning through the Patient Care Assisting program taught by Valdosta Technical College instructor Carolyn Grant.

Grant, a nurse, is one of many instructors from the technical college who teach dual enrollment courses across a six-county coverage area.

Through these classes students can earn college and high school credit and valuable tools to take into a future job.

Bill Tillman, VTC high school services coordinator, has been involved with the early enrollment programs for six years.

“Over the years the technical colleges have always tried to provide these opportunities to high school students to get a head start on some college work,” Tillman said.

The technical college offers three different options for high school students looking to get a jump start on their college education or future career.

“These early enrollment opportunities do a couple of things,” Tillman said. “They give a student the chance to gain some experience in an occupational area and in some cases they can earn both college credit and high school credit by taking one of these courses.”

The dual enrollment opportunities are targeted at occupations that are connected to the local community and the growth potential within those fields, Tillman said.

Even though VTC is still conducting their summer quarter, the technical college has 230 high school students dual enrolled in programs across the service area, Tillman said.

The dual enrollment program offers credit in technical certificate and diploma programs at VTC.

“A lot of students work part-time as they pursue a college education and rather than make minimum wage, they can possibly make a higher salary as they continue their education,” Tillman said.

The Georgia HOPE grant pays the tuition for two of the programs offered to high school students through VTC. The third program, ACCEL, has a separate scholarship program that covers the cost of the class and books, Tillman said.

“In some cases, depending on the option they take, a student might be able to transfer some of these courses to the university system,” Tillman said. “Even a university bound student can gain some education training and career skills that they can utilize.”