Now being offered each week at the Galien Township Public Library are open office hours for the Michigan Works adult education program.
Program manager Mandi Somers tells us Michigan Works has offered adult education in Benton Harbor for more than a decade, but a program specific to southern Berrien County was started more recently. Michigan Works was approached by Neighbor By Neighbor seeking one.
“They were looking for an educational and high school alternative for people down in their area because they’re very underserved down there,” Somers said. “They don’t have a GED program down in their area. The closest is going to be Niles for us here in Benton Harbor.”
Somers says with travel often a challenge, the Galien program was started to help those to the south.
The Michigan Works adult education program attracts a wide variety of enrollees.
“We have people that want to get a better job, people that want to increase to maybe a management level in their job, but their lack of GED is holding them back. We have people that maybe have an ex-offender status, and so they’re either required by probation or parole to be with us, or people that are receiving state cash assistance are required to join us if they don’t have their GED.”
Somers says Michigan Works adult education serves anyone age 16 or older who is lacking a high school diploma and lives in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties. It’s free.
The open office hours in Galien will be every Tuesday from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Those who attend are asked to register online. Anyone can also stop by the Benton Harbor office during normal work hours to learn more about adult education.
