Islanders looking to improve their career opportunities and gain new skills to maintain employment in the labour market are encouraged to explore the adult education program, said Minister Richard Brown, Workforce and Advanced Learning.
“The Province provides opportunities for individuals to complete their high school education and upgrade or obtain credits required for post secondary studies. Education is offered at three great institutions—Holland College, Collège Acadie, and the Institute of Advanced Learning,” said Minister Brown.
Through PEI’s Adult Education Program, adults who did not complete high school can enrol in GED preparation programs to prepare themselves to write the GED tests, where upon successful completion, they will obtain the PEI Grade 12 High School Equivalency Certificate. Adult education also offers the option to complete or upgrade high school credits in courses such as English, academic math, biology, social studies, or chemistry to meet prerequisites for post secondary education programs.
Josh Jarvis credits much of his newfound love for learning to adult education, where he completed academic upgrading to gain acceptance into Holland College’s Bioscience program. Through adult education, he realized that learning doesn’t have to end after the school day is over. He is thankful for his adult education instructors who believed in him throughout the program. Jarvis is now employed full time as a fermentation technician with BioVectra.
“Going back to school after a decade was no easy task. It was a challenge because I struggled through high school, so I had some uneasy feelings about going back,” said Jarvis. “Once I got into it, there was a learning curve to overcome as I wasn’t used to deadlines and writing papers, but I found I was quite capable and excelled in some areas, including mathematics. Going back to school as an adult was different, because I wanted to be there, and I saw it as investing in my own future.”
In 2014–15, the Province supported approximately 650 adult learners on Prince Edward Island. There is no tuition cost for Islanders to attend adult education as funding is provided through the Canada-PEI Labour Market Development Agreement through the Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning. Support is also provided by the Department of Family and Human Services.
Individuals interested in learning more about adult education can contact SkillsPEI at skillspei.com.
For specific program information, visit: http://www.hollandcollege.com/adult-education/ ; http://www.collegeacadieipe.ca/ ; or http://www.aolpei.ca/.