Adult education is so much more than assisting those needing a General Education Development diploma and high-school equivalency.
But it is undoubtedly a large part of the career.
West Kentucky Educational Cooperative Director of Adult Education’s Tina Peery and Outreach Specialist Chrissy Bush shared just as much during Tuesday’s meeting with the Cadiz Rotary Club, with Peery noting it was the organization’s mission to work with citizens of the Commonwealth to improve their quality of life through education, training and employment — so they can take care of themselves, their families, and to help communities expand and thrive.
This includes, but is not limited to, a plethora of integrated education and training opportunities, as well as workplace literacy programs that better prepare employees for more detailed and nuanced career tasks.
Courtesy of a successful grant period, Peery said coverage from the WKEC has increased from 10 to 15 west Kentucky counties over the last three years, and now includes adult education centers in Caldwell, Calloway, Fulton, Graves, Henderson, Marshall, Trigg, Union and Webster counties, as well as access points for Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon and Crittenden counties.
In fact, Peery confirmed the expansion of services into Trigg County has come under their purview in the last couple of months, by way of The Way Christian Youth Center on Lafayette Street.
However, she and Bush said a grant request for a more permanent adult education learning center in Cadiz — be it through rental, or new construction — has since been denied at the federal level.
This denial, however, isn’t deterring efforts, which are free of charge. Peery added that the WKEC is responsible for things like family literacy, college preparation, U.S. citizenship and ESL, as well as Department of Corrections rehabilitation — where the GED and English Language services play a part in limiting recidivism and improving the lives of inmates after incarceration.
There is also talk of adding on a new GED Online program, to help streamline the process and make it more readily available to rural Kentuckians.
In the beginning of July, multiple sources reported the Trump administration will continue to withhold nearly $715 million in national adult education appropriations, as the House and Senate debate the use and necessity of the said funding.
Furthermore, in the last fiscal year, 3,106 Kentuckians obtained their GED, reflecting a 2.5% increase from the previous fiscal year. This increase is part of a broader initiative by Governor Andy Beshear and the General Assembly to help more Kentuckians earn their GED, which has surpassed the national average. The state GED pass rate is 78%, significantly higher than the national average of 74%.
For more information, visit wkec.org.
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