Make the Grade! New Adult Learning Center Holds Open House

Aquidneck Island residents who are struggling to find a job, would like to open up new career doors or just improve their skills have the opportunity today to learn about many new programs now available right here in Middletown.

The Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center (AIALC) will hold an Open House today from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at their new location at 740 West Main Road in Middletown, the old John F. Kennedy Elementary School.

Many of the Adult Learning Center's programs are free of charge to students, including the high school equivalency course (GED), English as a second language (ESL) and the new Transition to College class. Tuition for other programs such as vocational training and apprenticeship programs are, on average, offered at fees more affordable than most schools.

“Our nursing program is the lowest cost in the state,” said Stanley Brown, Director of Adult Education at AIALC.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Rhode Island currently has an unemployment rate of 10.8-percent,  which makes it the fifth most difficult state to find employment.    

Placement

Brown said 90-percent of students who went through their customer service skills courses were placed in the job market and 100-percent of students who graduate from the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program could be placed in the job market.

“It is just a matter if the student wishes to be employed and what place is the best fit,” said Brown. 

In order to continue to provide affordable and free education, in January of last year, the center became a private, non-profit organization as part of a division of the Newport Community School.

“It opened up funding sources that we would not have had access to as a governmental agency,” said Brown. 

The Adult Learning Center will continue to look for creative funding sources such as grants and private foundations. The Department of Education cut the center’s funding 10-percent both this and last year. Brown said the AIALC was grateful to receive any funding, as other educational centers in the state received no funding or deeper cuts from the department. 

Classes

Brown said their successful fundraising efforts have allowed them to maintain quality programs with trained, certified teachers. All of the center’s 35 teachers are paid and certified by the State of Rhode Island.

“Many of the teachers have masters degrees and we have one who has a doctorate,” he said.

This year the center has introduced a new class, called Transition to College, for students who have a high school diploma but need to strengthen basic reading, writing and math skills to prepare for college level courses.

Students who enroll at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) take the Accuplacer exam, which may determine that a non-credit developmental class is required. The student must complete the semester-long course at a cost to the student, before enrollment in the normal curriculum is allowed.

“The Transition to College program is to work with students at the end of their senior year to take the Accuplacer exam,” said Brown. "The student will receive three college credits and it is free of charge."

Other programs that the center offers are: The External Diploma Program for older adults seeking a high school credential, Newport Diploma Plus Program for concurrent in-school young students and adults seeking a Rogers High School diploma, GED preparation and testing, English as a Second Language instruction, literacy services for low level readers and non-readers, educational and vocational assessment and counseling, vocational training, school to work transition services, and the Newport County Apprenticeship Academy for electricians, plumbers and pipefitters.

For more information

• Today's Open House at the Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center runs from 3 to 5 p.m. today.
• The Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center offers courses
  throughout the academic year and follows the Newport Public Schools academic calendar.
• See the Open House flyer in the image gallery at above right.
• Most classes are offered in day and evening hours.
• The address is 740 West Main Road, Middletown, RI, 02842, in the Annex of the former JFK School.
• Call the the Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center at  401-847-7171 or visit the school website.