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UA-PTC Adult Education Program Reports Major Gains in Workforce Certifications, Student Success

The University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College Adult Education Center is reporting significant achievements in workforce preparation and academic advancement, delivering hundreds of certifications to local residents.

The center, which is committed to helping adults improve academic and employability skills, is known for its G.E.D. preparation services, but also provides English as a Second Language (ESL), College Prep Refresher Courses, and specialized Integrated Education Trainings (IETs).

The following are some of the positive results the program has reported over the last two fiscal years, or since July 2023:

• Workforce Readiness: The program issued 289 WAGE I and 141 WAGE II Workforce Preparation certificates, totaling 430 certifications. WAGE (Workforce Alliance for Growth in the Economy) Certificates are a two-level program offered by the Division of Workforce Services designed for unemployed and underemployed adults to improve their foundational academic and workplace skills to gain or retain employment. Level I focuses on soft skills and foundational competencies, while Level II helps participants explore a specific career path and earn industry-recognized credentials for high-demand jobs.
• Career Advancement: Students completed 55 certificates of completion across several high-demand healthcare fields, including Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Certified Medical Assistant, Phlebotomy Tech, Certified Coding and Billing, and EKG Tech.
• GED Graduates: The center has produced 83 GEDs to date, including 51 in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 alone. The GED, or General Education Development certificate, is a widely-recognized high school equivalency credential.
• Additionally, students earned 116 OSHA-10 certifications, 20 ServSafe Food Handling certifications, and 66 CPR/First Aid certifications during this period.

The UA-PTC Adult Education program is the only fully technology-based adult education program operating in Pulaski County. It has also consistently met or exceeded the state and federal Effective and Efficient requirements for adult education programming for Fiscal Years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.

“UA-PTC Adult Education is dedicated to meeting people where they are,” said Director of Adult Education Bobbie Bournes-McNutt. “We give our students the tools necessary to unlock their potential and ‘level up’ their employment prospects.”

The center’s success has attracted external support, including two consecutive awards of the Dollar General Adult Literacy Grant—$9,000 for FY 2024-2025 (making it the only 2-year institution in Arkansas to receive the grant that year) and $10,000 for FY 2025-2026. The program also received a $4,350 UA-PTC Diamond Dog Mini Grant and a $13,300 Arkansas State Adult Education Special Projects Grant for IET Operations.

UA - Pulaski Tech Adult Education is located at both the UA-PTC Main Campus in North Little Rock and the Little Rock – South site at 13000 I-30 Frontage Road in Little Rock. All classes are offered free of charge.

Prospective students, who must be at least 16 years of age, begin the enrollment process by taking the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) Assessment and attending an orientation session. GED testing is offered at the UA-PTC Little Rock – South location (13000 I-30, Room 103) on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

For questions or disability accommodations, the program can be reached at (501) 812-2779. Learn more at uaptc.edu/adult-education.