Broadly the type of training adult education offers can be divided into three categories:
- Academic: whether obtaining your high school equivalency, preparing for a post-secondary school entrance exam, or preparing for the academic components of a work-based certification – we can help!
- Soft Skills: whether it is preparing a resume, writing a cover letter, or learning about the employment skills most in demand by employers – we can help!
- Certifications: whether it is learning about customer service, digital skills, or Microsoft Office products – we can help!
Employability Skills are those an employer looks for in a qualified candidate. Generally, these are not job-specific but are transferrable to any job. WVAdultEd uses the Employability Skills Framework as a guide to incorporating these “soft” skills into our programs and lessons. Some of the top skills an employer looks for are: communication, teamwork, reliability, problem-solving, planning, initiative, and self-management. Learning these skills can help put you at the top of the candidates for jobs.
WVAdultEd offers three avenues for certifications in customer service.
- Bring Your ‘A’ Game to Work is offered by the Center for Work Ethic Development and focuses on seven ‘A’s employers seek: attitude, attendance, appearance, ambition, accountability, acceptance, and appreciation. More than 40 hours of instruction prepares you to pass the online assessment and earn the Certificate of Work Ethic Proficiency.
- Through the Customer’s Eyes offers a two-part certification from Skill Path that covers: why customer service matters, what customers want, essential customer service skill, handling complaints, customer service as a strategic marketing tool, and three modules focused on communication for the customer service pro. This certification is endorsed by the International Customer Service Association.
- West Virginia Welcome was developed via a partnership between West Virginia University’s Hospitality and Tourism Program, West Virginia Department of Education’s HEAT Program, West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association, and the WVU Extension Service. Successful completers become an ambassador for West Virginia.
From basic digital literacy skills to more advanced topics, WVAdultEd has you covered!
- Microsoft Digital Literacy is a basic introduction to working in the digital world covering topics ranging from working with computers to creating digital content to collaborating digitally. Six learning paths are included with knowledge checks completed at the end of each to earn a certificate.
- Computer Essentials Certificate of Achievement is from Essential Education which covers three areas: Understanding & Using Technology, Finding & Using Information, and Digital Citizenship. Certification is issued upon completion at a specified level based on assessments in the program. Certification is available at Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels.
- The IC3 Digital Literacy | Global Standard 6 (IC3|GS6) is a starting point for students to establish a foundational skill set of digital competencies. These skills are stackable as a basis for building future skills which will assist a student in scholastic or employment journeys. The IC3|GS6 is broken down into three-level exams with a master certificate earned upon successful completion of all three level exams.
Recognizing that Microsoft Office products are a driving force in the scholastic and employment world, WVAdultEd offers certification in these products using the latest versions available.
- Microsoft Office Associate: earn your certification in Excel, Word, Outlook, or PowerPoint.
- Microsoft Office Specialist – Associate: earned by earning any three of the four Microsoft Office Associate exams.
- Microsoft Office Expert: earn your expert level in Access, Word, or Excel.
- Microsoft Office Specialist – Expert: earn this by combining any two Microsoft Office Expert exams AND your Microsoft Office Specialist – Associate certification.
Like all the other services of WVAdultEd – these are FREE!
See the WVAdultEd Distance Education and Certifications document for more information on the certifications and distance education opportunities offered.
Integrated Education and Training Programs (IETP) are specifically designed to allow students to receive contextualized education and training for a specific career or job cluster. An IETP combines adult education and literacy activities, workforce preparation activities, and workforce training. For example, several WVAdultEd classrooms offer a preparation program for students accepted into Practical Nursing schools. WVAdultEd also partners with employers to offer IETPs designed as pre-employment training.
CSM is an online, self-paced course that builds high performance skills and traits, including:
- college-level quantitative reasoning
- applied literacy
- problem solving strategies and mindset
- the ability to learn new skills independently
- the persistence to push through problems and the resilience to bounce back from
- failures
- high personal expectations to do things right and to the best of your ability
- strong self-efficacy: The belief informed from personal experience that you can do what
- you try to do, and do it well
These are the skills and competencies needed by everyone to succeed in school, college, work, and life. CSM teaches these skills and traits through the first adaptive learning system that not only personalizes instruction in academic/cognitive skills, but also in the learning-to-learn metacognitive and how-you-feel/how-you-act noncognitive realms, as well. Furthermore, CSM is exceptionally sensitive to the social-emotional issues that strongly affect struggling students.1
CSM/SeeMore Impact Labs has signed articulation agreements with all nine West Virginia Community and Technical Colleges to accept the CSM High Performance Certification as a general math credit at their institution.
Best of all…you can do this course for FREE at your local adult education classroom with the coaching and support of the adult education instructor. Further, students who bring Prior Learning Credit into a degree program are 2.5 times more likely to graduate!2
2CAEL, Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success