SCLSNJ AWARDED GRANT TO HELP ADULT LITERACY

Somerset County Library System of New Jersey has been awarded a $99,084 grant from The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to provide 84 adult community members with basic skills training through an Adult Literacy and Community Library Partnership Pilot Program.
SCLSNJ, in partnership with The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, identified a need to provide adult basic skills training that would lead to greater employment opportunities and/or career advancement for NJ residents in need of jobs, as well as those in low-wage, lower-skilled occupations. According to the grant, “To effectively maintain sustainable employment, entry-level workers must be equipped with the skills necessary to meet the increasing demands of the workplace.” With that in mind, the goal of the Adult Literacy and Community Library Partnership Program is to provide adults with educational opportunities to acquire and improve the literacy skills necessary to become selfsufficient and to participate effectively as productive workers, family members, and citizens.In order to expertly provide these adult basic education classes, which will prepare students to take a high school equivalency exam, SCLSNJ will work closely with the Hunterdon-Somerset Title II Consortium, an organization that includes Hunterdon County Educational Services Commission, The Jointure, and Franklin Township Board of Education.
Designed to improve the English language proficiency and adult basic education skills of those adults who are unemployed, underemployed, or needing remedial instruction in Somerset County and the surrounding area, the program will emphasize preparation for high school equivalency testing. English for speakers of other languages classes will focus on conversation, grammar, citizenship, and life skills.
The Adult Literacy and Community Library Partnership Pilot Program will take place at SCLSNJ’s Bound Brook Memorial Library, Manville Library, and North Plainfield Memorial Library branches. A summer session and a fall session will be offered. Summer session dates and times are:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, July 5th-August 25th, 6-8:30 p.m.at SCLSNJ’s Manville Library branch, located at 100 S. 10th Avenue in Manville. Registration and assessment will be held July 5, 6-8:30 p.m.
Tuesdays and Thursdays, July 5th-August 25th, 6-8:30 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s Bound Brook Memorial Library branch, located at 402 E. High Street in Bound Brook. Registration and assessment will be held July 5, 6-8:30 p.m.
Mondays and Wednesdays, July 6th- September 12th (no class July 11), 6-8:30 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s North Plainfield Memorial Library branch, located at 6 Rockview Avenue in North Plainfield. Registration and assessment will be held July 6, 6-8:30 p.m.
All classes are free and participants ages 18 and over will be able to register the first day of class on a first come, first served basis. For more information, email adultliteracy@sclibnj.org or call 908-526-4016 ext. 188.