ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) — Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Elizabethton and Northeast State Community College (NESCC) announced the launch of a new partnership on Monday that will strengthen academic and career pathways for students in the Administrative Professional Technology program.

The official signing of the new articulation agreement took place on TCAT’s main campus in Elizabethton, where TCAT’s President Heath McMillian and Northeast’s President Dr. Jeff McCord gathered to sign papers and celebrate the development.

“This articulation agreement will provide students with a seamless transition from TCAT-Elizabethton’s diploma programs into Northeast State’s associate degree programs, offering them expanded opportunities for academic advancement and career growth in the Administrative Professional Technology field,” a release from TCAT states.

McCord told News Channel 11 the partnership aims to strengthen technical workforce development in the region by making it quicker and less redundant to attain a degree.

“When a member of the TCAT students are completed with their program, they can transfer as much as 27 hours to our program, which means they’re about halfway through,” he said.

McCord said the Administrative Professional Technology program is vital to maintaining well functioning offices across the region, and it’s just the latest of many programs to see a transfer pathway created for it.

“It’s administrative professional technology, three concentrations: medical, office and law. And so they understand how to run an office in those environments and be able to make a good living doing that.”