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Education and Training Center Opening
This article was in Wednesday’s (December 7th, 2016) Herald and New
Written By: Holly Owens
College and community leaders celebrated the opening of Klamath Center for Education & Training (K-CET) with a ribbon-cutting at Klamath Community College Thursday, according to a KCC news release.
K-CET is a partnership between KCC and Southern Oregon Goodwill designed to address adult educational needs in Klamath and Lake counties. The center opened in September and now has more than 100 students enrolled in GED, college preparation, adult basic education and English as a second language classes.
“K-CET is a place for second chances, life resets, or a new start for adults in our community who need additional education,” said KCC Director of Workforce Development Chip Massie.
KCC President Roberto Gutierrez noted that 26 percent of Klamath County residents live at or below the poverty level. According to the Census Bureau, more than 6,000 adults living in Klamath County do not have a high school diploma.
Earning a GED or high school diploma is bare minimum required to participate in today’s global workforce, Gutierrez said.
“If you don’t have some kind of education after high school — or after earning a GED — your chances of escaping poverty remain low,” Gutierrez said. “That’s different from previous generations — you didn’t need that before, but now you do. If you are not educated, you cannot compete with the rest of the world.”
Southern Oregon Goodwill President Shae Johns called K-CET a “great opportunity for the community” to help put at-risk individuals on a path to vocational training and/or earning a college certificate or degree.
“It’s an opportunity for students to actually go to community college to get their GED,” Johns said.
KCC’s Klamath Falls campus, K-CET offers online, morning, afternoon and evening courses. Students in Lakeview can structure their coursework with an instructor dedicated to their success.
“K-CET delivers a team approach to teaching so every student has the best chance of success,” said Goodwill Director of Education Sandy Boatright, adding that the program is designed to be flexible so students can work at their own pace.
“Here everybody is treated equally and with respect,” she said.
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