Whatcom Community College is entering a new partnership this fall with the Northwest Career and Technical Academy, which will allow local high-school students to earn high school and college credits while studying for careers in the medical assisting and computer security and support fields.

The college is hosting an open house from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5, in its Health Professions Education Center, located on the corner of Cordata Parkway and Stuart Road, just north of its main Bellingham campus. Parents and students are invited to attend and learn more about new educational opportunities available through the partnership.

A second open house is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., also on March 5, at Meridian High School, 194 W. Laurel Road in Bellingham. The Northwest Career and Technical Academy offers construction, sustainable engineering and welding programs at Meridian, in partnership with the high school.

The academy, based in Mount Vernon, is one of 14 Washington State Skills Centers. The centers operate as extensions of local high schools, offering students technical skills and job training. WCC will be the Mount Vernon academy’s fourth campus.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction. 

Correction: March 3, 2014
An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that Whatcom Community College offers construction, sustainable engineering and welding programs at Meridian High School. In fact, those programs are offered at that location through a partnership between the high school and the Northwest Career and Technical Academy.