Students who complete the program are eligible for scholarships to take GED exam.
What: Albany Technical College and Goodwill Southern Rivers are partnering to offer free GED classes in a new program called GED Connect. The classes will be taught by Albany Tech instructors at the Goodwill Career Center, 2015 N. Slappey Blvd. Registration for GED Connect will open this Saturday.
Students who successfully complete the GED course will be eligible to apply for scholarships to take the GED exam. GED scholarships are funded by the Round Up at the Register initiative in Goodwill retail stores, which asks shoppers if they would like to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar to support GED Connect.
When: Registration (Note: Registration takes approximately five hours; lunch is on your own.) 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Where: Goodwill Career Center
2015 N. Slappey Blvd, Albany
Why: More than 20 percent of the population in Dougherty County do not have a high school diploma or GED, which place people in the community at a disadvantage when they are looking for work to support their families.
Goodwill Southern Rivers and Albany Technical College have a common mission to support the evolving workforce development needs of Southwest Georgia with skills training and education, officials said.
“Earning the GED credential offers an opportunity for better paying jobs and higher wages, as well as a step toward further training and higher education,” said Marcus McBride, Ph.D., Director of Education & Training for Goodwill Southern Rivers. “We are excited that partnering with Albany Tech allows Goodwill to offer that option in this community.”
“Albany Technical College and Goodwill Southern Rivers acknowledge the need to assist individuals in Albany/Dougherty County in obtaining skills and training needed for workforce development and is partnering to provide classes that offer a flexible schedule, conveniently located and FREE to the general public,” said Linda Coston, Vice President of Adult Education for Albany Technical College. “This initiative will allow the region to increase the supply of potential employees with the appropriate skills, literacy and training needed by employers.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a person with a high school or GED diploma will earn $7,658 more annually than a non-high school graduate (Source: Georgia.gov). Results from U.S. Census indicate that 15 percent of Georgia residents 25 and older do not have a high school diploma, which is lower than the national average. (Source: U.S. Census)