The Occupational Student Success Program (OSSP) offers supportive services to specific categories of students who are enrolled in approved occupational degree or certificate programs. The initiative helps students achieve academic success by providing services designed to assist in the removal of barriers to the student’s academic goals. The OSSP Program is open to all Special Population Students. A Special Population Student is a person who, through a formal assessment, has been deemed as being one of the following:

• Single Parent, Including Single Pregnant Woman – An individual who is unmarried or separated from a spouse, and has a minor child or children for which the parent has either custody or joint custody.
• Is unmarried or separated from a spouse and is pregnant.
• Out-of workforce individual– An individual who is under- employed or unemployed and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining employment or upgrading employment AND:
  • Has worked primarily without remuneration to care for a home and family, and for that reason has diminished marketable skills; or
  • Has been dependent upon the income of another family member but is no longer supported by that income; or
• Individual from economically disadvantaged families, including low income youth and adults.
• English learner- An individual who has limited ability in speaking, reading, writing or understanding the English Language, AND whose native language is a language other than English; Or who lives in a family or community environment in which a language other than English is the dominant language.
• Youth who are in, or have aged out of, the foster care system
• Youth with a parent who — (i) is a member of the armed forces (as such term is defined in section 101 (a)(4) of title 10, United States Code; and (ii) is on active duty (as such term in is defined in section 101 (d)(1) of such title.
• Homeless individuals- as described in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a).
• Individual preparing for nontraditional fields- An individual enrolled in an occupational program that is considered non-traditional for his/her gender as determined by National Labor Statistics and State Year-End Program enrollment data. These occupations or fields of work generally include careers in computer science, technology, and other emerging high skill occupations for which individuals from one gender comprise less than twenty five (25)% percent of the individuals employed in each occupation or field of work.
• Individual with a Disability – A person having any of the disabilities as in Section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

OSSP Services: Examples of available services include academic/personal assessment, degree selection and academic advising, career workshops, referral services, registration assistance, financial aid application assistance, tutoring and career exploration.

Students participating in OSSP may also be eligible for financial assistance to help pay for tuition, fees, books, childcare and needs.

The Occupational Student Success Program is located in the Student Services Office. Appointments to discuss eligibility may be made by contacting the Occupational Student Success Program coordinator at 269-294-4328 or toll free 1-888-994-7818. Appointments or requests for information may be emailed to, Rachel Templin at rtemplin@glenoaks.edu. Interested applicants can fill out the OSSP Application on Etrieve. Funding for OSSP is provided by Perkins V and Glen Oaks Community College.