(Seguin) — Getting started on obtaining your G.E.D is now as easy as one click of the mouse. Those needing to prepare for their General Education Development or General Education Diploma can now earn one from the comfort of their own home thanks to the launch of a new online program.
The online program is being made available to residents in Seguin and Guadalupe County thanks to Alamo Colleges I-BEST. Alamo Colleges is the local entity offering the opportunity to earn a GED and making it available wherever there is internet access.
Victor Ramirez, Alamo I-BEST academic program coordinator, says although sitting in a classroom is still available, it’s no longer the only option.
“Our program Alamo College I-BEST– we are really excited because we are offering this opportunity for people who might be lacking their high school equivalency or their GED an opportunity to get it from a distance. They don’t have to go all the way into San Antonio or New Braunfels or maybe even leave their house. They can do it right from home. So, we are really excited about offering that opportunity. It kind of extends our footprint to people who might be needing our services. Often times students, they drop out of school or they can’t complete high school for whatever reasons. Sometimes it’s academic, sometimes, it’s just life gets in the way and they’ve put it in the back burner going to school and getting their high school credential is not priority. We know there’s a great need to provide this opportunity for folks in this area and we are really excited,” said Ramirez.
Local instructor James Pierce says he too is excited about overseeing the new online program. Pierce, who is committed to seeing students succeed, says even if a person spends the majority of time online, there will still be that opportunity to work with someone in person.
“I live here. I live six blocks from Mary B. (Erskine) so if a student calls me and it’s Friday, Saturday or Sunday — Monday through Thursday I live over there — and says ‘hey, I need to do something. Can you show me something?’ I will drive over there on Sunday for a couple of hours. We will go over something. I actually sent out homework over the phone to three of my students this week because they had something happen. So, I texted them and emailed something to them and I just got a text back this morning with their homework. The thing of it is like I said, I’m available,” said Pierce.
In fact, Ramirez says the online program still allows people to see instructors as they engage in the classroom.
Plus, he says the curriculum is provided to students at their pace and at each of their respective levels.
“It’s a new effort and we are really excited about it. The great thing is you are going to get the instructor via (in person), the computer or online. But the fantastic part about it is if the student learner is going to want to really have that face to face time with the instructor and wants to spend some time asking questions and getting more support — we are going to have the opportunity for them to access James aside from what is going on online (and) on the days that they are not in class so they’ll have that opportunity too,” said Ramirez.
Ramirez confirms the Alamo I-BEST Initiative which is simply providing “training and employment assistance to workers and students who require basic skill development in order to succeed in technical training. I-BEST students benefit from technical training that is aligned with reading, writing, math or language skills needed for the job.”
Opportunities for IET’s or Integrated Education & Training programs are also available under the I-BEST umbrella.
Those trainings include but are not limited to IT (Information and Technology), welding and CNA (certified nursing assistance).
Pierce says there are so many ways to move toward a GED or workforce training. He says cost should never be factor.
“The number one question I get, how much does it cost for me to come to GED prep class? ‘Zero dollars.’ Now the IET’s, depending on which one you go to, you might have to pay out of pocket. We also partner with Workforce (Solutions Alamo) in town and we can send people their way but they’ll pay for their trainings at CTTC so you can still go to school here in New Braunfels and go to Workforce and Workforce will back us and say pay for welding, IT or whatever we can’t cover. So, that’s the beauty of our program,” said Pierce.
Ramirez says because they know that real concerns are at the cusp of most major decisions, the program begins with a special orientation to truly assess your future goals.
“The great thing about the Smart Choice is (when) students first come in for that four day orientation, we kind of get to address some of their concerns and we work one on one with one of our career navigators. We will separate them from the rest of the group and work one on one and kind of address those challenges and obstacles that each of those students might have. Then ultimately at the very end of the Smart Choice, they have a plan. They have different routes to where they can obtain their goal. The route is going to definitely look different for every student that we get in. What challenges one student might have might not be the same for others. A lot of the common ones are transportation, if they have issues and concerns about tuition, some might be childcare so we kind of alleviate those concerns and kind of give them options and provide them opportunities to let them know about our partners that we work with so we can help them facilitate those needs and those obstacles,’ said Ramirez.
Ramirez says then following the orientation, students of all ages, he believes will be more affirmed in their decision to get that GED or enroll in that additional training or certification program. He says getting started in your future is truly that easy.
“We see that all the time. We get students who have really great intentions. They make sacrifices and inevitably sometimes there’s just too much strain on their time. They got family. They got the jobs and other obligations maybe sometimes it’s two jobs, three jobs. So, time is a huge factor for our students being able to be successful and that’s what is so excited about this being online — we are really excited because it provides an opportunity for them to kind of manipulate their schedule even more. It makes it a little bit easier to not have to do the traveling, fit it into their schedule to do some of the assignments and so it’s a great opportunity for those students who have time restrictions,” said Ramirez.
Those wishing to get started are asked to contact the I-BEST program at 210-485-0278. They may also contact Pierce directly at 830-556-2090.
The local program is operated at the Mary B. Erskine Campus located on College Street.