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EmployIndy launches GED campaign

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EmployIndy launched a campaign to encourage the more than 2,000 Marion County residents who have started their General Educational Development (GED) test to finish their GED before the end of 2013.

In August, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced that the GED test currently in use will be replaced in Indiana by CTB/McGraw-Hillā€™s Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC). The new assessment ensures Indiana offers a high school equivalency test that matches employer demand, is affordable and accessible.

All non-passing GED scores will expire at the end of 2013. That means if residents have started the GED but have not completed and passed all five tests by the end of the year, they will need to start over with the new test. The ā€œFinish Your GED in 2013ā€ campaign is aimed at encouraging Marion County residents who have progressed on the GED pathway to seek help to complete the test before the end of this year.

ā€œAs employer demand and requirements for employment change, itā€™s important that we have high school equivalency tests, like TASC, that meet those needs,ā€ said Brooke Huntington, president and CEO of EmployIndy. ā€œResidents who have already put in considerable time toward a GED should finish the test to earn their high school equivalency.ā€

According to national statistics, the average GED test-taker waited eight years before coming back into the system to take the GED test. In Marion County, since 2010 about 4,800 residents have earned their GED. Last year alone, 1,360 people passed the GED test. There are 2,200 Marion County residents who have completed part of the test and could still achieve their GED yet this year.

ā€œEducation is a critical foundation for economic success. Employment for those without a high school diploma and post-secondary education is increasingly difficult to find. A GED is a first step toward a better future,ā€ Huntington said. ā€œSo we want to be sure that everyone is aware of the need to act now to finish and pass before the current test expires.ā€

Test preparation support is available at a host of Indianapolis schools and community-based organizations, where residents can get the help they need to pick up where they left off and prepare for taking all or parts of the exam they still need in order to get a diploma.

Several school systems provide preparation and testing for the GED, including Washington, Warren and Wayne townships, IPS and Central Nine Career Center. More than 15 community-based organizations offer GED services. Some of those sites include Hawthorne Community Center, Flanner House, Southeast Community Services, John H. Boner Community Center, Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center and the Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center.

ā€œEarning a GED opens doors to college and career opportunities that can be life-changing for our students,ā€ said Todd DeLey, supervisor, Adult Education, Community and Continuing Education, Metropolitan School District of Washington Township. ā€œWe encourage any student who has previously been enrolled in GED classes, or completed part of the GED, to return to class to complete the exam by mid-December. Nearly 300 Washington Township adult education students earned their GED in the past year. We encourage adult learners to take advantage of our program and benefit from the teachers who have a proven track record of success.ā€

Interested GED test-takers can find a test preparation site closest to them by calling the Help Line at 2-1-1 or by visiting Workoneindy.com.

Residents who would like to take the GED before the end of the year need to contact a site closest to them as soon as possible, and must take the test prior to Dec. 13, 2013.

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