Mansfield Adult Education Director Michele Meckes and Kevin Uhde, the program’s grant manager, look over plans for implementation of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in Ohio.
Enabling students to earn a GED is the primary service of Mansfield City Schools Adult Education but it’s only the starting point for securing employment, improving job skills or higher education.
“We’re the first step but a GED is never the stopping point for a student,” said Michele Meckes, a 15-year Adult Education employee who became director earlier this year.
The GED is a four-subject high school equivalency test in four subjects: science, social studies, mathematical reasoning and reasoning through language arts. Starting last Jan. 1 the GED became a computer-guided test – no more paper and pencil.
The science and social studies tests take about 90 minutes each, the math test two hours and the language arts test about two and a half hours. Results are known within one to four hours. The tests do not have to be passed within a specified time.
“Each test can be taken separately,” Meckes said. “The cost is $30 for each but the state provides a $20 voucher for each test. Our program provides some $10 vouchers for the remaining cost.”
Classes to prepare for taking the GED test are offered at Mansfield Adult Education, now located in the rear of the Hedges Campus, 176 Hedges St. Thirty-nine people have passed the GED test there this year.
The Adult Education program also partners with Pioneer Career & Technology Center, Madison Adult Education, North Central State College and at sites in Galion and Bucyrus.
Beyond the GED, Adult Education offers career assistance with resumes, job searching and pre-employment test study, as well as post-secondary preparation for enrollment at career tech or two-year colleges. English for speakers of other languages is available.
Kevin Uhde, Adult Education grant manager, said expanded services for job-seekers is on the way. As of Dec. 17, he said, the website http://www.ohiomeansjobs/ showed that within a 10-mile radius of Mansfield there were 349 job openings that did not require a high school diploma and 977 others that required a high school diploma or equivalent.
“A big change is coming as the Ohio Office of Workforce Development meets requirements of the new federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA),” Uhde said. “It requires all states to create a unified plan for workforce and career education.
“It’s designed to help people seeking employment or the means to improve their job skills while eliminating duplication of services. For example, if someone creates an account with Ohio Job and Family Services then comes to us, we can access their account to better serve their needs.”
Uhde said full compliance with WIOA wiis expected within two years.
For more information about Mansfield City Schools Adult Education and the services provided call 419-525-6380.