Most dropout recovery programs focus on helping students who have left school in the past few months or years. Yet there are more than 31 million adults in the United States without a high school diploma.
That’s why, across the country, Graduation Alliance partners with state agencies to facilitate Adult High School Workforce Diploma programs aimed at working-age individuals who haven’t given up on the dream of a diploma.
These online initiatives pick up where K-12 funding drops off — typically after the ages of 21 or 22 — ensuring that those who weren’t able to graduate in the traditional way can still earn the most essential credential for participation in the modern economy, with:
- Fully accredited online curriculum
- 24-7 tutoring support
- Opportunities to earn career-specific credentials
- Direct connections to employers for job placement opportunities
Graduation Alliance’s Adult High School Workforce Diploma program is giving thousands of people across the nation renewed hope for a better future, with graduates moving on to earn jobs that pay a living wage in fast-growing fields.
“I always wanted to set an example for my kids.”
Brandi dropped out of high school after becoming pregnant in her junior year and spent 18 years without a high school diploma.
“I always wanted to set an example for my kids and to get into college, but I didn’t know how,” she said. But when she heard from a friend about Graduation Alliance’s 22+ program in Ohio, she knew she finally had a chance to change her life.
Over the next 18 months, she participated in online classes in math, science, English and art, among other subjects. Meanwhile, she earned job readiness certificates in financial literacy and digital literacy and caregiving. Those certificates proved invaluable for securing her first job in a healthcare-related field, as a caregiver, before she even graduated from the program with her high school diploma.
“I love helping people, and now I have a job because of the program,” she said. “Being able to help my elders brings be a lot of joy, but I’m not going to stop there. I’m going to become a social worker — so now I’m going to college, and I can start a career I really love. Because of these experiences I can teach my kids an important lessons: If I can do it, they can do it.”