Kishwaukee College is proud to celebrate National Adult Education and Literacy Week, Sept. 18-24. Kish’s Adult Education programs help provide skills and credentials to adult students, expanding economic opportunity for the region.
Kishwaukee College is one of 72 adult education providers funded through the Illinois Community College Board. Programs offered at Kish include English as a Second Language and high school equivalency courses.
Kish’s high school equivalency courses helped Brienna Fank pursue a career in radiologic technology. She completed her high school equivalency in December 2021 and now continues her education at Kish.
“This program has a lot of benefits for people going through different things in life and who are in different situations,” Fank said. “The program has amazing teachers who helped me prepare for the GED® test, and they didn’t give up on me. Not only did they work with me on GED® preparation, but they helped me with my self-confidence, too.”
Woodfin Billingsly completed his high school equivalency through Kishwaukee College in March after taking a medical leave from high school. He said the program’s flexibility and assistance allowed him to re-enter formal education and find success.
“The support of the program and the instructors was instrumental in encouraging and supporting me in continuing my education journey,” Billingsly said. “From the beginning, Instructor Julie Lieving met me where I was and made me feel capable.”
Kish’s English as a Second Language program offers students the opportunity to develop reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills needed for college and career success. Instructor Jeanne Schlegel said the current goal for her Bridge to Career Pathways class is to help students decide on a career goal.
“We have been looking at our past job experiences, education and the skills we have used. Many students shared highly skilled or interesting jobs they did in their native country,” Schlegel said. “Students will continue to improve their English by learning the vocabulary about building their dream careers.”
The programs and courses offered by Kish’s Adult Education department assist students with the knowledge and training needed for in-demand careers locally and across the country. Full-time workers with a high school diploma earn almost $10,000 more per year than those without a diploma, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Registration for second eight-week classes will be available in October. To learn more about registering for adult education classes at Kish, contact adulted@kish.edu or 815-825-9420 or visit www.kish.edu/adulteducation.