Adult Education

The Center for Lifelong Learning at The Pruden Center for Industry and Technology is a regional adult education program designed to serve the educational needs of adults in the City of Suffolk and Isle of Wight County.  The Center’s goal is to provide a comprehensive range of programs for adults who want to improve their basic educational level, learn a new job skill, upgrade skills used on a current job, or just take classes for self-improvement and personal satisfaction.

The courses offered are determined by the needs which exist in the community.  A nominal tuition is charged for most classes, and a minimum number of students is required.  More than 1,400 adults took advantage of courses offered through the Center for Lifelong Learning during the 2007-08 school term.  The classes are offered in various locations throughout the city and the county in an effort to make them accessible.

The Center for Lifelong Learning has also enabled the school division to offer high school credit classes at night.  Adult students who just need a course in English or government, for example, can go back to “night high school” and take the course they need to earn a regular high school diploma.

Adult Basic Education classes are offered free of charge to adults who want to improve their basic academic skills to at least an eighth grade level.  When participants successfully complete those classes, they may continue in the General Education Development (GED) diploma preparation course which will prepare them to take the high school equivalency test.  An applicant for the GED test must be at least 18 years of age and out of school.  The Center for Lifelong Learning is an approved GED testing facility, offering the test on the second and fourth weekend of each month.

A broad range of career and technical classes is also available through the Center for Lifelong Learning.  These include classes in business and information technology, health occupations, family and consumer sciences, and industrial and technical areas.  These courses are designed to teach specific job skills for those who want to upgrade their current job skills or to change careers.  These classes are offered in well-equipped laboratories at The Pruden Center for Industry and Technology.

The Suffolk Public Schools / Sentara Obici Hospital School of Practical Nursing is co-sponsored by the school division and the hospital.  Many graduates work at Obici now as well as physician’s offices, nursing homes, home health, school nurses, and as EKG or OR technicians in Suffolk and surrounding communities. Applications for the program are accepted June through October for the next February class. Twenty-five students are accepted each February. The school is a full-time twelve month program, Monday through Friday.  The school is approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing and the Virginia Department of Education and is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.  Financial aid is available to qualifying students. For more information, visit the school web site at www.sentara.com/obicilpnschool

For  additional  information about specific adult education programs, please call Gail V. Bess at 925-6760 or Robin Rose at the Center for Lifelong Learning at 1-800-831-8639, or (757) 925-5651. For information about the School of Practical Nursing, please call Gwen Sweat at 757-934-4826 or 757-934-4827.