Starting Monday, the Picayune School District WILL BE hosting an Adult Basic Education Program for those 17 or above who wish to seek a higher education and pursue a better career, Adult Basic Education Director Kelly Davis said.

“The ABE program is a non-profit organization that is trying to better the lives of the adults in our community”, Secretary of the ABE program April Boland said.

The program consists of GED testing, computer skills for beginners, work force development, beginner and advanced literacy and transitioning services into a secondary school such as a college, Davis said.

Also, Boland said this is the only program in the area that offers an English language learner program for those wanting become fluent in English.

ABE has many success stories, Boland said.

“After going through the program, we have had some students go into nursing and culinary arts programs. Also, we’ve had students go into military service as well as move up from a regular staff member to a manager,” Boland said. “We provide them an opportunity to complete their career goals.”

The program runs on the public school schedule and operates Monday through Thursday, from 4 to 9 p.m. Participants only have to come to class twice a week, Boland said, because most of the students in the program have full-time jobs.

“Everything about this program is very individualized. We work with everyone and their schedules to make sure they can go through this program as quickly as possible,” Davis said.

Even though the program’s schedule is based on the public school’s schedule, students do not have to attend for any certain duration, Davis said. Instead, ABE students can choose when they are ready to take the GED test. However, before they take the GED, students must take an official practice test to see if they could pass the test, Boland said.

“The goal of this program is to help educate the community. We provide a great environment for everyone of all ages to feel comfortable as they pursue to open doors to get better positions or go to college,” Davis said.

Registration for the program is ongoing until the end of August. In order to register, Davis said students have to fill out paperwork and take a locator test, which evaluates the student’s grade level equivalency to help decide what classes they should attend. To register, visit the Career Vocational Center on Goodyear Boulevard from 4 to 9 p.m.