< News

ETCN Joins COABE’s “Move Ahead With Adult Ed” Campaign

“Reskilling, Upskilling Will Help Move Adults into Family-Sustaining Jobs for Economic Recovery from Pandemic”

Education to Career Network of North San Diego County joins more than 65,000 adult educators in “Move Ahead with Adult Ed,” a new national campaign to enroll adult learners into programs that equip them with skills that lead to high school equivalency and jobs that pay a family-sustaining wage. Millions of Americans are out of work or underemployed and need to reskill or upskill to re-enter the workforce or pursue their education. The pandemic has exacerbated the need for services.

ETCN’S adult education schools which include Escondido, Poway, Vista, Ramona, San Marcos and Palomar College are currently providing instruction both online and some classes in-person. The majority of courses offered by ETCN are available for low or no fee. CDC guidelines and sanitation protocols are in place for in-person instruction to ensure a safe learning environment.

“Adult education provides on-ramps to better jobs and to college,” said Elizabeth O’Shea-West, ETCN Leadership Council chair. “With adult education, the infrastructure is in place to reskill and upskill Americans and not only get them back into the workforce but get them into better jobs than they had before the pandemic.”

An international study indicated approximately 43 million working-age Americans lack the skills needed for many of the nation’s fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs. According to the U.S. Census, there are over 22 million adults in the U.S. without a high school diploma.

The #MoveAheadWithAdultEd campaign focuses on re-engaging the millions of Americans who are in need of additional skills to compete in the workforce to recover financially from the pandemic. In addition to providing industry skills training, adult education programs teach literacy, numeracy and digital literacy, as well as offer high school equivalency classes.

For more information, visit coabe.org/moveahead-with-adult-ed