Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinoishas approved plans for a new model in adult education. The Excel Center will provide help in academic, job and life skills for people who didn’t graduate high school.
Sam Schmitz is president of Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois. Some 45,000 adults in the Rockford area don’t have a high school diploma or the equivalent. Schmitz says providing a way for some of those adults to succeed in life means taking a comprehensive approach to their situation. The Excel Center will provide that. Schmitz says the Center will afford them the chance to earn a diploma, and at the same time college credits, certificates and credentials needed for jobs openings in the area. He says the Excel Center is a concept that has proven itself in other cities.
“The real positive outcome -- the thing that everybody looks for? These students end up with a livable wage,” he says.
They’ll also get help dealing with life situations that create roadblocks to success. And it doesn’t stop with graduation.
“The Goodwill coach stays with that person even into the employment years, because the life issues may still be there, and until that person is solidly entrenched in the workforce, they’re going to have that coach with them,” he says.
Schmitz says getting skills and credentials not only makes a huge impact on those in the program, but also on their children’s academic future, and on the community at large.
Schmitz says an important component in getting the program started will be removing the state’s current age limit of 21 to earn a high school diploma. He says area legislators will soon introduce bills in the state House and Senate to remove the restriction.
Goodwill will also work with area educators and community partners to make sure those in the program get the skills -- and the opportunities -- they need.