4 of 25

Write now Article Tools

I delivered my car to the dealership to have some work done on it and was offered a courtesy ride back home. The driver was Rodney, a young man with whom I'd worked several years earlier when he was a student at the Regional College where I was Student Counselor.

Rodney (not his real name) had dropped out of school in grade nine, when he was big enough to pass for sixteen and was offered a job on a maintenance crew. That didn't last long as everyone on the crew was expected to help out with driving, and Rodney had no license. After he turned sixteen Rodney found that he wasn't able to pass the written driver's test so his choice of jobs remained limited. He was able to get a job in spring and ride his bike to work, but once the snow came he would start missing shifts and would soon be let go. His social worker insisted that he keep applying for work, so Rodney went down to the employment center and was able to get help putting together a resume - one that grew longer each year.

Rodney was tired of dropping off resumes and never being called back for an interview. A friend told him about the local Regional College where they had Adult Upgrading Programs that claimed to be able to "give him the academic credentials he needed to further his training and open the door to new opportunities". Rodney stopped by the College where the clerk at the front desk asked him some questions, filled in an electronic application, printed it for his signature and made an appointment for him to come back for an academic assessment session.

Rodney's appointment was for the following week, and when he finished the first test, he was asked if he wanted to continue testing that day or make another appointment. He had nothing better to do that day, so he stayed and did some longer tests. The Assessment Clerk gave him a phone number to call the next day to find out his results.

When Rodney called the number the next day, he spoke with a Student Counselor who told him that his scores indicated that he needed to do the Adult Education Readiness Program before he could start the Adult 10 to 12 Program. The Counselor saw that his math scores were a lot higher than his reading scores, so she asked if he'd be interested in doing some more testing with the College's Learning Consultant to see if he had a learning disability. Rodney thought, "Why not?" and took down the other number to call to make that appointment.

When Rodney called the second number he was given an appointment for the following

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Adult education 101?
We want to hear your view. Write now!