Earlier this month, Project Learn of Summit County received notification from the Ohio Board of Regents (OBR) that it was awarded a grant to provide literacy, GED and ESOL throughout Akron and Summit County.

Project Learn collaborated with the Six District Education Compact on the grant application, allowing the agency to become the only comprehensive adult GED and ESOL provider in the county.

Performance

For two consecutive years, Project Learn has received exemplary ratings from the Ohio Board of Regents for exceeding performance targets in all functioning levels as well as surpassing students' goals for gaining employment, earning a GED and entering post-secondary education.

Being awarded the grant shows that OBR has confidence in Project Learn as an exemplary program that can provide first-rate services.

However, this is both a challenge and opportunity.

Challenge

Funding for adult education programs decreased 11 percent in Ohio. This directly affects Project Learn and other adult basic and literacy education programs, that even with reduced funding, must continue to serve students in need of educational assistance.

Also, the number of students in need of services is at an all-time high. This is partly due to the following reasons:

·         In Summit County, more than 52,000 adults living over the age of 25 lack a high school diploma

·         Higher skills are needed to compete and succeed in the workplace

·         Laid off workers are going back to school to earn their GED diplomas, in hope that that it will lead to a better job

·         Former high school dropouts are looking to earn their GED diplomas so they can go to college and further their education

In spite of this, we embrace these challenges with open arms.

Opportunity