• 35 million people in the US did not finish high school.
• 3% of today's students do not graduate from high school, and the dropout rate among minorities is more than 50%.
• 20% - 25% of adults in the US are functionally illiterate.
• A General Education Diploma (GED) graduate will make 40% more than a non high school graduate 1
  

For adults to be successful in today's workforce, they need to acquire a range of skills that include not only technical competencies but also general abilities like problem solving, communication, flexibility and conscientiousness. Yet, a solid majority of American manufacturers and other businesses report that they are struggling to find employees who possess these skills.2

The greatest benefit of obtaining a GED is the potential it offers for continuing education and training. "Many postsecondary education and training programs are denied to uncredentialed dropouts, but open to GED holders."3

Today, people without a high school diploma are relegated to low-wage jobs or unemployment. Even the earnings of high school graduates decrease each year in relation to those who have college degrees. The road out of poverty and to economic security is linked to continuing education.2

Avoiding poverty and the ramifications of unemployment may be the prime motivator for GED pursuit, as most GED recipients (60.5 percent) move on to some form of continuing education. Technical programs, nondegree training programs, two-year associate degree programs, and on-the-job training programs are some of the options these GED holders pursue. According to American Council on Education research, which administers the GED, two-thirds of GED candidates are seeking more education.4

While traditional undergraduates are generally able to direct most of their energy toward their studies, older students, parents-especially single parents-and students who work fulltime have family and work responsibilities competing with school for their time, energy, and financial resources. Difficulties with child care and class schedules that do not mesh with work schedules are just two of the barriers that nontraditional students may encounter. Also, some of the older students who did not pursue a postsecondary education when they were younger may have made this decision because they were not prepared academically. Consequently, they may struggle when they enroll later.5

Participating in distance education may allow nontraditional students to overcome some of the difficulties they encounter in coordinating their work and school schedules or in obtaining the classes they want.6

A high school diploma or GED is necessary to move beyond low-wage jobs, but adults who hope to find well-paying, meaningful employment cannot stop there. In 1999, male and female college graduates earned 58 and 92 percent more, respectively, than those who had not gone beyond high school.2

Currently, the U.S. corporate education market is worth an estimated $60 billion. Rapidly emerging technologies, the expanding information economy, and an aging population are creating both critical needs and opportunity for workplace training and education. To compete successfully, companies find they must invest more than ever in their knowledge management, knowledge transfer, and overall training.7

According to University Business , 60% of adult learning programs are conducted by the corporate sector with only 17% by government agencies, and 20% by the postsecondary market (10% are traditional colleges and universities). Add to this the mounting workforce skills shortage and the need for lifelong learning will only continue to rise.1

Research reports show recognition and economic advancement are not the only type of achievement that leads to personal happiness and success. One researcher itemizes four additional outcomes of GED certification based on his study of GED graduates:7

• GED recipients tend to feel better about themselves than do dropouts who never return to school. They have an enhanced sense of self-esteem by knowing that they have accomplished requirements of educational certification.

• GED recipients tend to realize greater satisfaction with their lives than do dropouts. They are more apt to read, continue learning, and be financially secure.

• GED recipients are more likely to encourage their children to finish school as they realize the handicaps they have had to face by not completing high school themselves.

• GED recipients are more likely to get a better job than high school dropouts who do not return to school. They tend to have more full-time work and experience regular, uninterrupted employment.
  
  

Our Essential Vision is to join corporations, communities and learners to:

Reinvent education for the bottom 30% of the learning curve, creating a dramatically better way to educate learning-challenged students and workers, and to foster learning successes.

Offer delivery systems so that all people who desire it can receive a high-quality basic education, learn, master skills and contribute because they are self-sufficient.

Develop community and organization networks, corporate and community partnerships that support, deliver and sustain career education experiences that teach people to think critically and creatively about the words, ideas and experiences they encounter in our society.

Execute affordable, accessible and exceptional education online opportunities for career education and distance education programs.