Lorain County Community College (LCCC) in Ohio has developed the promising Fast Track program in which students can gain credentials in high-demand industries within one semester while also earning college credits. Industries include healthcare, IT, finance, and advanced manufacturing. After earning the credential, Fast Track is designed for students to receive monetary incentives and advising support to stack additional advanced certificates and degrees (including associate’s and bachelor’s).

With support from Lumina Foundation, MDRC and RAND are partnering with LCCC on an 18-month mixed-methods study to evaluate the program’s implementation and outcomes, and to explore its potential for broader adoption. This research will also examine how states and systems can better support community colleges in scaling high-quality programs — to meet the growing demand for short-term workforce training that leads to both meaningful credentials and pathways to college degrees.