The Adult Education Casual Information Drop-in will have resources to help people with all levels of education needs and workplace education options
When it comes to accessing educational resources for adults, it can be a bit tricky knowing which of our local organizations is the right one to talk to. Luckily, these education organizations have teamed up for a casual drop-in open house style event on Sept. 3, where they will all be at the Gaynor Family Regional Library.Adults in our community looking to take steps towards, or even just learn more about, education can get their questions answered all in one place.
“These are programs that are running in Selkirk, so you don’t have to go to Winnipeg for them. And with the beginning of the school year, if people are wondering what their options are (this can help). To me, the big thing is, sometimes you try to contact these places, and it’s hard to get a hold of somebody or get questions answered. But, here you get to talk to a person, and we sometimes redirect people. If they come to my booth and they actually are interested in something else, they can go speak to the person next to me. So, it’s just an efficient way of learning about what adult education and employment opportunities are available right here in Selkirk,” said Adele Plett Bartel, Program Coordinator at the Selkirk Adult Learning program.
There are going to be eight organizations at this drop-in style event that each help out learners and workers in different stages of their education and careers. They are: AIM for Work, Regional Connections, LSEC Adult Learning Centre, Selkirk Employment Services, Training and Employment Services, Red River Polytechnic, Selkirk Adult Learning Program(SALP), and Workplace Education Manitoba(WEM).
These programs cover the needs of a variety of learners, from people who need to brush up on the basics to people interested in pursuing post-secondary education and more.
“My program is probably the most basic, because we do pre-high school, whether it’s just trying to upgrade skills to get into high school or into college. We also offer a basic computer class that, if you’re going back to school and you need to be able to even just register online, sometimes that can be a problem,” said Plett Bartel
She also pointed out that WEM provides education for people who are already in the workforce to acquire specific skills which might be important to succeed in particular careers so this event is really for just about everyone.
New to the Adult Education drop-in this year is Regional Connections. They provide free settlement, employment, language, and community connections services for newcomers.
“(We) help (newcomers) with resumes and interview preparations, and also help people to connect to resources regarding job opportunities in the community in different locations,” explained Jashan Jot Kaur Muker, Settlement Worker for Regional Connections.
Overall, the reason that these organizations team up to host this event a couple of times a year is because they want residents to have an opportunity to find the right educational resources for them.
“People are going on their education journey and you’ve got a new group of people coming in continually. People are moving through education. So, we want to keep reaching out to those who are new, who may have moved to the community, or this is the time for them,” said Plett Bartel.
Muker agreed, explaining that it doesn’t matter where you are in your education, there’s probably something for you.
“This is open to everybody and anybody from all sectors, from all organizations or from the community. Anybody is welcome to attend this event, discover resources and meet different organizations, and definitely, take steps into education and employment all in one evening,” said Muker.
The drop in takes place on Sept. 3 from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Plett Bartel explained that improvement and achieving goals is often part of the reason that people connect with them but, with learning being lifelong, there might be some unexpected benefits to signing up for additional education.
“When it comes to employment, often you need to improve your skills. It increases what you’re able to do in the future. It’s good for mental health and well-being and confidence and all of those things,” she said.
As far as this event goes, she’s happy to be able to once again take part in it.
“I love meeting the people who come through. It’s really neat when people have that desire for education or for employment, and then they find a good fit,” she said.
She encourages those who think they could benefit to grab a friend and stop by, or even to stop by if you have someone in your life who you want to grab resources for.
“I’d say, bring your questions, your curiosity. You can stay as short or as long as you like, it’s a casual drop-in, so no appointments are needed. There is a door prize. There’ll be some snacks there,” said Plett Bartel.
