SAN DIEGO—Friday wraps up Adult Education Week in California. This year’s theme, “Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Workforce” emphasizes the important service San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE) provides to adults in San Diego who are improving lives and livelihoods through education.
California has offered adult education for 160 years. The first classes were held in the basement of St. Mary’s church in San Francisco and teachers were volunteers. Back then, students did not pay for the classes, and today at SDCE (which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year) the classes are still free because SDCE is part of the California system of higher education. Funding also comes through business and industry partnerships.
Partnering with the Community
Collaboration with community organizations emphasizes the importance of adult education for communities. Examples include the Joint High School Diploma program SDCE has with San Diego Unified School District. The joint program started in 1994 and has served thousands of students.
Adult basic education classes also support the Military Academic Skills Program, and most students who enroll are interested in retaking the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) exam that determines eligibility for military training programs.
A third example is the collaboration with the San Diego County Office of Education, and Juvenile Court and Community Schools that has been in place since 2004. More than 100 youth have graduated from a collision repair course offered at SDCE, which offers top quality instruction to previous youth offenders.
CSE (Center for Sustainable Energy) and others are collaborating with SDCE to expand training and job opportunities in energy-efficient careers using SDCE state-of-the-art facilities. This is an example of industry and education working together to prepare adults for the workforce in industries with available jobs.
“Adult education is leading the way for job training,” says Jane Signaigo-Cox, Dean of Career and Technical Education at Continuing Education.
Training Adult Students for Jobs
The San Diego Workforce Partnership recently reported that unemployment is shrinking in three major industry sectors that impact the San Diego economy: health care, information technology and manufacturing. SDCE offers free, short-term job training in these and other subjects.
“We believe the shrinking unemployment in these areas indicate some of the middle-skilled jobs that disappeared during the recession are returning,” said Signaigo-Cox.
There are more than 30 free, short-term job training programs that teach skills and hands-on training in specific industries. Additional examples include Automotive Technician, Child Development, Culinary Arts, Web Server Maintenance and Security, Welding and Plumbing.
Many job training classes at SDCE also include credit-by-exam agreements for students, which means students who transition to City, Mesa or Miramar college, can receive college credit for some of the classes they complete at SDCE.
“Credit-by-exam agreements are important for the academic success of many adult students,” said Star Rivera-Lacey, Dean of Counseling and Student Success at SDCE. “For those interested in transitioning to college, the credit-by-exam agreements help expedite that academic goal.”
Students in the job training programs also have critical student support services available to them at SDCE, including counselors who provide various options and next steps.
SDCE Prepared to Serve More Adults
“A statewide recognition of adult education is a perfect time to remind the San Diego community about the free short-term Job Training/Certificate Programs we offer in San Diego Continuing Education,” said Rudy Kastelic, Interim President at SDCE. We serve 45,000 students annually at seven main campuses around San Diego and in many community locations such as libraries and senior centers.” Yet, even with the large population of students served, SDCE is prepared to serve many more.
Free classes appeal to adults for various reasons. In addition to job training, SDCE serves thousands of English as a Second Language learners in beginning through advanced level classes (14,026 in a recent semester); yet according to the U.S Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey, there are 350,998 residents in the region who are limited English speakers and who could benefit from taking classes. SDCE is prepared to accept hundreds of new students. Most campuses have been newly constructed or renovated and students learn in modern, smart classrooms with top rate instructors.
Often the first step to higher education or employment is a high school diploma or equivalency. SDCE also offers free basic skills classes and test preparation for students who need to complete this important goal. SDCE awards more certificates of completion than any other noncredit adult educational institution in the state of California. In 2014, SDCE awarded completion certificates including 46 GEDs, 115 high school diplomas and 4,792 Job Training/Certificate Programs.
“This week faculty, staff and administrators have taken a moment to recognize the pride and commitment we have as adult educators,” said Kastelic. “And to celebrate adult students who have succeeded by returning to the classroom.”
Photo caption: San Diego Continuing Education is one of the largest adult education providers in California. Free classes help adult students achieve high school diplomas and complete short-term job training.