PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE ADULT EDUCATION CENTER
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
The Department of Health and Welfare has had a long partnership with the Adult Education Center. The Center provides adult basic education and job-related training for the department's clients. In a recent collaborative effort, the Department of Health and Welfare is funding the Jobs Education Training (JET) program statewide through local adult basic education programs, including the Adult Education Center. This collaborative project brings together support services, adult secondary education, adult vocational education, and ABE.
JET's goal is to serve adults who score above the 8th-grade equivalent level on the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE), are living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, and are responsible for a minor child. (Clients who don't meet these criteria continue with regular adult education services.) The Center will offer participating JET clients help in obtaining, retaining, and enhancing employment through basic skills instruction. JET goes beyond the scope of ABE and will include assessment, case management services, and JET Skills Training.
The JET Skills Training will include instruction for specific positions, such certified nursing assistant, phlebotomist, medical transcriber, office secretary/receptionist, or call center specialist. The occupational training also will include job-readiness skills and preparation for the certification process. A transition specialist will work one-on-one with learners to help them find resources, such as admissions and financial aid information at colleges or workforce training centers. Employment counselors will assist participants in their employment search.
Here's how the partners have divided responsibilities for JET:
- An ABE instructor will coordinate the JET services for the Center.
- Administrative staff at the Center will do data entry, tracking, and reporting to the Department of Health and Welfare.
- NIC's Workforce Training Center staff will provide case management services for the JET grant, and their instructors will provide the occupational training.
- Current ABE instructors will provide ABE instruction.
- Specialized training will be purchased through the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center with $41,000 from the Department of Health and Welfare.