Achieve Fast-Track to Employment Certificate

Achieve is a comprehensive post-secondary transition program that includes credit and non-credit classes, intensive advising, involvement in campus life, and career development activities. All Achieve students work with an intensive advisor and career specialist to draft and implement a comprehensive, individual plan for college and career. Specific courses, campus activities, and work-based learning experiences are determined based on skills and competencies needed for students to achieve their identified goal(s).

As a Department of Education approved, financial aid eligible Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID), Achieve certificates are designed to support students with ID who want to continue academic, career, and independent living instruction to prepare for paid employment. Comprehensive Transition Programs like Achieve require students with intellectual disabilities to participate in regular credit-bearing courses with nondisabled students. Participation can include:

taking the course for full credit,
auditing or participating (with nondisabled students) in courses for which the student does not receive regular academic credit,
enrollment in noncredit-bearing, nondegree courses with nondisabled students, and/or
internships or work-based training with nondisabled individuals.

Achieve at Highline College

Program Requirements

General Requirements

Thirty-six (36) total credits; with a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA in graded courses.

Specific Requirements

Required credits are distributed across three core competency areas: classroom, campus and career. Students build an individualized Program of Study and Career Transition Plan with an Achieve Advisor that outlines the student’s goals and plans for meeting classroom, campus and career requirements. Campus and career competencies are measured through participation in a quarterly advising seminar.

All students complete and present a Capstone portfolio outlining progress toward goals identified in the Program of Study and the achievement of programmatic learning outcomes.

Core Courses

Supporting Courses

Career pathway courses - Achieve students work with their advisors to develop an individualized Program of Study. Specific courses are determined based on skills and competencies needed for students to achieve their identified goal(s). (20 CR)

Total Program Credits: 36

Learning Outcomes

Through campus, classroom, and career experiences, students will have increased self-advocacy, independence, and competence in:

Setting and communicating needs, wants, and long and short-term goals;
Identifying and developing transferable and marketable occupational and job attainment skills; and
Critical thinking skills including self-reflection of learning and information gathering and analysis.

Important Notes

Students may opt to take courses for traditional credit or with curriculum modifications as an Achieve elective depending on their ability to meet the course prerequisites and their specific desired learning outcomes.
Achieve electives are traditional courses taken in audit status to allow for modification of coursework. Audited courses do not earn a final grade or credit for the course in the traditional manner. Students auditing courses work in partnership with course faculty to develop measurable learning outcomes and a plan to evaluate progress with the support of their Achieve Advisor. The Achieve Advisor verifies student attainment of identified learning outcomes and reports the number of credits earned toward the Achieve certificate.

Internal Coding

Last Updated	June 2025
Description	ACHIEVE Fast Track to Empl C20
Academic Plan	MSOFTC20
CIP Code	30.0001