For the past thirty years Chattanooga State Community College has provided adult education services to the citizens in Hamilton County. As of July 1, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Athens has been entrusted and challenged by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to continue offering these services.
"Times of transition and change bring about a plethora of questions and concerns, and in regards to Hamilton County adult education, the primary concerns revolve around accessibility and quality of services for citizens in need of the diploma necessary for entering the workforce or earning a postsecondary credential," officials said.
In light of these concerns, Stewart Smith, director of the TCAT Athens, said, “The TCAT Athens is committed to providing quality education services to the citizens of Hamilton County. We appreciate the years of quality service that Chattanooga State has provided in Hamilton County, and we intend to work with them in providing a direct pathway for our graduates to become their graduates.”
"The TCAT Athens has a proven track record of providing quality services leading to a high success rate in graduates earning their high school equivalency diploma in Rhea, McMinn, and Meigs Counties, and is now focused on bringing this same level of success to Hamilton County," officials said.
District 4 is comprised of the 10 counties making up the Southeast region of the state, with Hamilton County representing nearly half of the total potential to serve. “Hamilton County is by far the largest population in the region and as such will receive the lion’s share of available funding,” said Mr. Smith. Funding has been utilized to hire an assistant district coordinator and support and instructional staff whose primary focus will be on Hamilton County. In addition, Hamilton County will be the central location for ESL classes.
"AE District Coordinator Leslie Travis has worked diligently putting together a team of qualified professionals to develop a strategic plan to ensure that the citizens of Hamilton County receive quality preparation to successfully pass the high school equivalency exam (HiSET), which are still being offered at Chattanooga State," officials said.
“Beginning on July 11, we will have classes at the Eastlake Salvation Army location on 28th Street, The American Job Center at the Eastgate Town Center on Brainard Road, and in Soddy Daisy,” said Ms. Travis. The TCAT Athens continues to pursue additional locations within the community to expand the offering of services, focusing primarily on locales accessible by way of public transportation in areas with the highest concentration of need.
“We ask the community to please remain patient as we seek to ensure that services offered in Hamilton County are of the highest quality. Rest assured that we will do our best to move the process along as quickly as possible,” said Ms. Travis.
All adult education teachers and staff will be attending a statewide training in Memphis the week of July 17. The purpose of this training is to bring all eight Districts together in order to better understand the goals of the restructuring and to enable each adult education representative to successfully provide quality services in each community, according to officials. New student orientation will begin on Aug. 1 across the District 4 area, which includes: Hamilton, Marion, Sequatchie, Grundy, Bledsoe, Rhea, Meigs, McMinn, Polk, and Bradley Counties.
"Adult education takes a collaborative effort, and the TCAT Athens will work tirelessly to partner with individuals, business and industry, education and governmental entities in Hamilton County to develop the most effective plan to provide quality services," officials said.
Anyone interested in partnering with the TCAT Athens or receiving adult education services can call the toll free number, 1-844-688-7944. "The Tennessee Adult Education District 4 Facebook page will be frequently updated with dates and locations, making it a great resource to remain current on adult education in District 4," officials said.