In Grenada, the Adult Education Center on South Line Street is there for anyone looking to ensure that they are competitive when it comes to the learning skill set and finding jobs.
Grenada has long provided adult education options for those seeking to get over the hurdle of learning the much-needed learning skill and with the announcement of additional industry, officials are there to serve scholastic needs.
The Grenada Adult Education Center serves as the home of the Grenada League for Adult Development (GLAD) and a place for those 18 and over seeking classes after being completely withdrawn from school.
“The services are here,” Adult Education Director Priscilla Burns said. “Literacy is not just teaching people how to read, it includes digital skills, numeracy and helping students navigate through all types of areas.”
The Adult Education Center has longed worked to improve students skill level in adult education or literacy, prepare to succeed on a high school equivalency (HSE) test, or gain workplace skill and credentials.
With the announcement of incoming and existing industry making large strides in the next few years, officials at the facility want the public to be aware of what they are offering.
Skill UP Mississippi
The initiative Skill UP Mississippi is also apart of the Adult Education Center which helps individuals gain the skills they need to be competitive in today’s job market and find their pathway to success in a rewarding career. According to Burns, Skill UP helps current and potential employees acquire the skills companies need to be successful now and well into the future in an increasingly competitive economy.
“A lot of manufacturers are now using computers, and with Skill UP, it helps with this type of training,” Burns said.
Skill UP Mississippi also offers training and support for people pursuing HSE and the general education development (GED).
GLAD
For the last 20 years, the Grenada Adult Education Center has been a GED testing site for Grenada County. In 2011, the center became the first in Mississippi approved for GED Wizard, which reduced score wait time from a couple of weeks to a matter of days.
In addition to low-level adult literacy training, the collaboration that comprises the Grenada Adult Education Center offers prep classes, workplace and college readiness training and HSE testing. The GLAD board also serves as the advisory board for the Grenada School District’s Adult Education Program.
Frank Bradford, chairman of the GLAD board, said the center is there to assist those who want to become a part of the economic job market.
“There’s a need for employees and you have a certain educational level to be considered,” Bradford said. “There’s a number of people that need to reach that level and the GLAD center is a good place to go. There’s industry currently looking for those types of workers and the market is only growing.”
Bradford said there is also a need for volunteers and mentors at the center.
GLAD is a nonprofit volunteering literacy council dedicated to helping adults of all ages to improve their lives and their communities by learning and improving their basic skills in reading, writing, technology, math and problem-solving skills.
“We want people to feel comfortable because this is a safe place,” Burns said. “We believe in confidentiality. We want people to come here to prepare for a job.”
For more information about the programs at the Grenada Adult Education Center call (662) 226-6101.
