March 5, 2010
 
Community and Technical College System of WV Receives $10,000 Grant from National Governors Association (NGA) to Launch New Adult Education Initiative
 
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
 
Charleston, WV (HNN) -- The Community and Technical College System of West Virginia (CTCS), in partnership with the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC), has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the National Governors Association (NGA) to host a statewide forum focusing on adult learners. The Governor’s Forum on Postsecondary Credential Attainment by Adult Workers will bring together college governing board members, higher education administrators, and policy makers to launch a new initiative targeting adult learners.
 
The new initiative, On Reaching Academic Momentum Points (ON-RAMP), is aimed at retaining and graduating adult students. In a recent study, 173,000 West Virginians were identified as having some college credit (HEPC 2009). ON-RAMP will reach out to those individuals and employ research-tested curriculum and best practices aimed at assisting students in reaching key educational milestones as soon as possible.
 
"Our economy continues to change and become more competitive, which is why it is essential that our citizens have the skills to earn a living,” said Governor Joe Manchin. “I am pleased that NGA has recognized our state and has decided to make this important investment on behalf of our citizens."
 
Currently, HEPC is facilitating an initiative, the RBA Today, that encourages adults with some college credit to complete a degree, and the CTCS recently received a U.S. Department of Education grant of $635,000 for the improvement of postsecondary education to implement a complimentary curriculum, the Integrated Pathways to Adult Student Success (I-PASS). I-PASS is a holistic program designed to increase the enrollment and graduation rates of adult learners in technical programs key to each region’s economic development.
 
“Raising the education attainment rate of our adult population is a solid strategy for advancing economic development efforts. Additional college graduates increase West Virginia’s skilled workforce, assist in attracting new industries, and adult learners are less likely to leave the state,” said James Skidmore, Chancellor of the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia.
 
The Governor’s Forum on Postsecondary Credential Attainment by Adult Workers Forum is slated for the summer of 2010. Governor Manchin will lead a session illustrating the necessity for integrating higher education and economic development, and West Virginia Department of Commerce Cabinet Secretary Kelley Goes will lead a session on the key academic milestones for adult learners. The day will conclude with strategy sessions tailored to meeting the needs for success in individual regions of the state. The goal of the forum is to make West Virginia more competitive in a global economy by increasing the understanding of major stakeholders regarding the economic impact of enhancing the education level of adults, and formulating a statewide strategy to increase the number of adult learners with college credentials.