skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Pilot Program Helps KY Adults Complete GED, College Degree

play audio
Play

Tuesday, February 11, 2020   

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Kentucky is the first state to participate in a pilot program aimed at helping adult learners choose the best path toward obtaining their GED, certificate or college degree. The program trains local volunteers to reach out to prospective adult learners in their communities.

Jen Schramm is a labor market issues expert with the AARP Public Policy Institute. She said currently 7 million jobs in the U.S. remain unfilled because employers can't find qualified workers. At the same time, many workers, often age 50 or older, are stuck in a field or can't move into a higher-wage job because they lack credentials or the degree required.

"We want to be able to help adults find ways for them to meet their educational goals - whether they are trying to complete a GED, a college certificate, or getting an associate's or a bachelors degree," Schramm said. "We want to make sure that they are aware of the different paths that are available to them in Kentucky."

By 2030, it's expected at least 60% of working-age adults in Kentucky will need to have earned a postsecondary-education degree or credential to meet workforce demands. More information on the program is available at aarp.org/ComebackKy.

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education president Aaron Thompson said there are an estimated 1.2 million adult learners in the Commonwealth.
,
"And many of these have some hours toward college credit," Thompson said, "but they have, in many cases tons of life experiences."

Schramm pointed out the number of jobs requiring qualified workers will continue to increase.

"Communities can't rely on on the K-12 pipeline to meet that need," Schrramm said. "They have to find ways to help empower older learners to obtain the college credentials that they'll need to have the types of jobs that will be growing in the future."

Among adults who have reported completing a work-experience program, the most commonly chosen fields are health care and teaching, according to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Iowa families can apply for up to $7,600 a year for private school costs. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An ethics committee in the Republican-led Iowa House has dismissed a complaint filed by a group of community activists against a state lawmaker for hi…


play sound

Each spring, hundreds of thousands of California high school seniors have to figure out if they can afford to go to college in the fall - and two new …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A health care workforce shortage in New Hampshire is leaving Alzheimer's patients and their families with few options for treatment. Patients facing …


South Dakota ranks 49th in the country for its contribution to indigent legal defense costs, according to a 2023 report from the Indigent Legal Services Task Force. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

South Dakota is creating an Office of Indigent Legal Services after House Bill 1057 passed the Legislature with nearly unanimous support this month…

Environment

play sound

A Knoxville-based environmental group is voicing concerns over what it sees as an increasing financial strain imposed on taxpayers by nuclear weapons …

Environment

play sound

A bipartisan law set to take effect this summer prohibits foreign adversaries from buying Hoosier farmland. The signature of Gov. Eric Holcomb was …

Social Issues

play sound

Today, people across Arizona are voting in the Presidential Preference Election, a chance for registered Democrats and Republicans to choose their …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021