GEDs are Opening Doors to Employment
On a beautiful, sunny autumn day last month, staff members spent the morning transforming the courtyard outside CWEE’s offices into a celebratory space filled with balloons, streamers, flowers, and most importantly – CWEE GED graduates! The CWEE community came together in September to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of our recent GED graduates. The festive celebration featured inspiring messages from our graduates, the presentation of hard-earned GED certificates, and a post-ceremony reception with friends, family and CWEE staff.
Earning a GED is not only a huge life milestone – it’s an important step towards self-sufficiency and greater competitiveness in the workplace as CWEE graduates look towards launching their careers.
Since CWEE first opened our doors in 1982, the workforce has changed dramatically. In 1980, 15.4% of adults in the U.S. did not complete high school or earn a diploma (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 2017). A decade earlier, these prospective employees would have readily found work in industries like agriculture or manufacturing, but advances in technology during the 1980s began eliminating thousands of jobs that did require a high school diploma.
The need for educational credentials has continued to rise, with today’s market demanding a minimum education requirement of a high school diploma for nearly all jobs. According to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, in 2021, only 10% of jobs nationwide were available to those who lack a high school diploma. By 2031, the percentage will shrink further, as less than 6% of jobs will not require a diploma.
Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic created a significant increase in the demand for essential workers, creating new job opportunities for those without educational credentials. Now that the global crisis has subsided, job-seekers are finding that even those once credential-free job opportunities are now requiring a high school diploma. Similarly, nearly all certificate programs, including cosmetology, HVAC, and plumbing, now require enrollees to have completed high school.
As CWEE continues to navigate the changing workforce landscape alongside our participants, one thing is clear: high school diplomas are crucial for closing the gap in income achievement. The urgency for uncredentialed career-seekers to earn GEDs is higher than ever as we prepare for the coming changes in the workforce.
To meet this growing need, CWEE offers GED preparation classes in a supportive environment at no cost to participants. We utilize a hybrid program model that meets students where they are so they can succeed in their educational goals. Many CWEE participants are busy juggling kids’ school schedules, working part-time jobs, searching for stable housing, and caring for family members. Often the only time they have to focus on schoolwork is after their kids are in bed. Those participants benefit tremendously from the flexibility offered by an online program. However, after many years of offering GED programming, we also recognize how much most students benefit from spending classroom time with a dedicated instructor, like CWEE’s Brannon Saffron.
Brannon supports participants by offering in person classes for the four test subject areas: math, social studies, language arts and science. During GED orientations, Brannon reviews each subject area with participants so they have a firm understanding of what they will learn and be tested on for each exam. From there, participants choose where to begin their studies. Brannon journeys alongside each participant and works with them individually to help offer insight and coaching as participants navigate the program.
“When getting started with their GED, I try to coach participants to focus on one test subject area at a time. If you try to tackle all the subjects at the same time, you can become overwhelmed and lose motivation. It’s like when you’re scrolling Netflix and have too many options, so you end up choosing none. When you are focused on one subject, you can really gain traction and build motivation.”
Brannon also utilizes an online learning platform that allows him to assign study materials and homework that help participants prepare for the subject tests on their own. As students progress through homework and practice exams, Brannon can see which topics are causing difficulty and where additional practice is needed, providing tutoring, instruction and additional learning resources as needed for each participant.
Brannon is also passionate about creating a safe, judgement-free learning space for our participants. “I want to create a classroom where mistakes are not the exception, but rather the expectation. I tell my students that mistakes are invaluable because they let me know you’re trying and clue me in to what you might be missing and how I can better support you!”
The results of this empowering, participant-directed approach were evident last fiscal year. Between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, eight CWEE participants earned their GED and 33 individual subject area exams were passed. Though not all graduates could make it to this year’s graduation celebration, we are exceptionally proud of each of them for the resilience, grit and determination they showed while achieving this amazing accomplishment!
The long-lasting impact of achieving this milestone can be seen in the story of one of our recent graduates, whose newly-earned credential is opening doors to a meaningful, impactful career.