Adult Education Crucial to North Dakota Workforce

(North Dakota Department of Public Instruction image)

(KNOX) – State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler praised the work of adult educators, saying they play a crucial role in bettering the lives of North Dakotans who are striving to get general equivalency high school diplomas. Gov. Kelly Armstrong has declared Sept. 15-19 as Adult Education and Family Literacy Week.

The North Dakota Association for Lifelong Learning, which is an association of adult learning centers, is having its annual conference in Bismarck.

Adult education refers to instructional programs that help individuals who lack a high school diploma to earn a GED, or general educational development, credential. It shows they have the academic knowledge and skills of a high school graduate and is accepted by colleges and employers across the country.

Adult learning centers help participants set career goals and prepare them for the workforce. They offer GED preparation and testing, and instruction on reading and writing, science, social studies and math. They provide EL, or English language, instruction for individuals who have difficulty speaking or writing English. Many EL students are not native English speakers.