2024-2025 College Catalog

Live Work Policy

Live work is a paid or contracted service performed by students under real-world working conditions as an integral part of a course of study to enhance their knowledge and skills.    
The board authorizes the college to offer live work when the instructional program requires such projects for the acquisition of career and technical skills leading to employment provided it does not compete with private enterprise.    

Administration 

The President of the College is responsible for the administration and control of live work. All live work performed must be approved by the President or a designee identified in writing. The President shall be responsible for maintaining appropriate records and ensuring that the state prescribed, and approved accounting procedures are followed.  

The Chancellor or Chancellor’s designee must be notified in advance of all off-campus live work projects. In addition, the Chancellor must approve requests to build structures on campus for resale that exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000). The College must adhere to state bid laws when providing live work.        

Live Work   

The scope and extent of live work will be well defined in writing before approval. Individuals and organizations requesting live work assume all associated risks. The following individuals and organizations may request live work:    

  • Tax supported programs and institutions.
  • Active and retired public employees/officials.
  • Students in Alabama Community College System institutions.
  • Program advisory committee members.
  • Charitable organizations.
  • The general public when the live work is of a recurring, small-scale nature, such as health and beauty services.
  • Other individuals and organizations when the President justify in writing why the live work is necessary for the training program and files a signed copy with the Chancellor or a designated representative.       

Live Work: Documentation

The College must document all live work performed during the fiscal year (October 1-September 30) and prepare a Live Work Summary Report for submission to the ACCS (Alabama Community College System) Director of Career and Technical Education by October 31.    

Release of Institution Liability  

  • The person, program, institution, or organization for which live work is done shall:  
  • Assume all responsibility for the results of the work being done by students.
  • Bear all actual costs of materials and parts involved and pay a service charge as follows:    
    The total charges (cost plus a service charge) for live work will be no less than cost plus 10 percent and not more than cost plus 20 percent. The college, if desired, may place up to 10% of the service charge into the college’s Foundation account. In no case shall the total charge be less than $5.00.  
  • When a licensed training program, such as health and beauty services, is operated, services may be provided to the public using a schedule of charges established by the President. 
  • In exceptional cases such as the construction of a public building or a charitable project, a reduced service charge for the indirect expense of live work may be applied provided the Chancellor or a designee concurs in writing.    
  • The College must establish and publish a timeframe for payment and pick up of a completed live work project. Any project not paid for and picked up within the designated timeframe will become property of the College and normal surplus property procedures will apply. 
  • Colleges may have public sales of live work projects at specific times of the fiscal year so as not to compete with private enterprises. Funds collected from live work sales, after expenses, will be deposited into the college foundation account.       

Restrictions on Live Work    

To avoid competition with private enterprises, live work is restricted as follows:

  • Live work will be performed only when it is a related learning outcome of the specific CTE (Career and Technical Education) course being offered for skills leading to employment.
  • Live work will not be performed when there is any connection with or relation to the making of a financial profit by a program, organization, institution, or individual.  
  • No person shall use the institution for personal gain or profit.