INA, IL (Sept. 22, 2021) - Rend Lake College is celebrating National Adult Education and Family Literacy this week by recognizing the impact that learning can have.
The AEFL week is held nationally the third week of September. In the US, more than 43 million adults cannot read, write or do basic math above a third-grade level. Workers who have earned less education than a high school diploma have the lowest median weekly earnings.
Adult education programs across the country are aimed at promoting economic opportunity while giving students access to higher-paying job positions. Rend Lake College offers Bridge and ICAPS classes, which help prepare low-skilled adults for the workforce while working toward a GED or helping improve basic skills.
“Adult education provides on-ramps to better jobs and to community college,†said Christina Manchen, Director of RLC Skills Center. “With adult education, the infrastructure is in place to reskill and upskill the 9,000 plus under-educated adults within the college district. The Skills Center offers programs that can not only get them back into the workforce but get them into better jobs than they had before the pandemic.â€
By introducing new skills and improving upon already existing SKILLs, adult education is an economic catalyst to help low-skilled adults and their communities recover from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Skills Center Bridge classes assist students with reading, writing, numeracy and technology skills as well as helping improve oral communication. Instruction includes an introduction to Career Pathways, development of career plans, increasing career awareness, career exploration and job readiness skills, among others.
Transition services provide students with more information about how to navigate from adult education coursework to credit, occupational programs or apprenticeships. These services may include academic advising, study skills, coaching and other referrals.
The next Career Exploration Bridge Class starts Oct. 19, where students have the option to attend face-to-face or online. For more information about the course, call 618-437-5321, ext. 1241 or email skillscenter@rlc.edu. You can also visit rlc.edu/skillscenter.
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