Community Education program brochures Metro North ABE Consortium Newslette, Summer 2019 | Page 3

Who is an ABE learner?
Each day, in every one of our sites, amazing
learners fill our classes. The mission of Metro
North Adult Basic Education (ABE) is to inspire
and challenge all learners.
Who is an ABE learner? In many ways, all
of us are learners. Teachers are learning from
students. Site directors are learning from
community partners, staff and students. Students
are learning from volunteers and teachers. At
Metro North ABE, we celebrate all learning,
however, our students are the most critical
learners Their achievements indicate our
success.
Last year, Metro North ABE had almost 4,000
students enrolled, with a wide variety of goals
ranging from learning basic academic skills,
attaining English language skills, gaining family
literacy, and preparing for the U.S. citizenship
test. Students with the goal of earning a degree
come to us to prepare for the high school
equivalency assessment, an adult diploma or
a certificate that will qualify them for work in
their chosen career. Some learners were students
long ago and now need support in transitioning
to post-secondary programs or brushing up
on math and/or writing in order to get a job or
advance at work.
Next Stop: Your Career
There is a growing need for skilled drivers of large vehicles; from
delivering online purchases to homes, driving children to school
or delivering goods across the state in a semi truck. A Commercial
Driver’s License (CDL) fills a needed service in our community.
To become a professional driver, you first need to have a
Commercial Learner Permit. This allows drivers to practice driving
and then take a behind-the-wheel road test. Those wishing to get a
learner permit must pass a knowledge test in English, on paper or
on a computer. There are up to twelve sections of the test based on
the variety of driving classifications the student is seeking.
As the world requires more skills from its
workers and community members, our notion of
who is an ABE learner needs to keep pace and
grow. Metro North ABE is a first stop for many
adults no matter what their goals.
An individual is eligible for
ABE programming if he/she is:
17
#IamABE
at least 17 years of age, and
not enrolled in K-12
instruction.
unable to speak, read
or write English, or
does not have a high
school diploma, or
lacks basic educational
skills.
Metro North Adult Basic Education (ABE) offers a CDL Permit
Preparation class to help students launch their driving careers.
During this ten-week class, students receive literacy instruction to
help master the knowledge test and also meet potential employers.
During one session, Voigt’s Bus Company visited the class and
answered student questions about a career safely transporting
school-age children to school. Voigt drivers gave students the real
world experience of conducting a vehicle safety inspection in the
parking lot of the Adult Education Center in Columbia Heights.
This preparation provides students with insight into their future
career possibilities and useful experience entering the workforce.
Metro North Adult Basic Education | Ph: 763-433-4200 | www.MetroNorthABE.org
JULY 2019
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