FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release Date: Nov. 5, 2004
Contact: Sue Patrick
502-573-1555
Sue.Patrick@ky.gov

Adult education enrollments top 120,000;
91 counties meet or exceed goals

A record number of Kentuckians enrolled in adult education programs in fiscal year 2004 to earn a GED, upgrade basic academic or workforce skills, improve their English or learn as a family.  The 120,051 enrollments surpassed the goal by 20 percent, according to officials from Kentucky Adult Education and the Council on Postsecondary Education.
Adult education programs in 91 counties met or exceeded their enrollment and performance goals in fiscal 2004 (see list).  These counties will share nearly $1 million in incentive funds.  Forty of these counties have earned incentive funding for the four years it has been available.
“Kentucky has made a significant investment in adult education, which has led to an 135 percent increase in enrollment since 2000,” said Cheryl King, vice-president for adult education.  “But the most important return on this investment is educated Kentuckians who are more self-sufficient, more involved in their communities, more engaged as citizens, better role models for their children and better employees.”
Significant enrollment totals were posted in workforce education and family literacy. Workforce education programs enrolled 51,388 employees and served more than 900 employers.  Family literacy, in which parents and their children learn together, climbed to 4,397 enrollments.  More than 11,000 students took advantage of online courses through www.kyvae.org <http://www.kyvae.org> .
Council President Tom Layzell praised the county programs for what he called remarkable success.
“This is a significant achievement for our state and a remarkable success for the county providers who endeavor everyday to meet the needs of their communities,” he said.
The foundation for this success was the Adult Education Act of 2000 that created a partnership between Kentucky Adult Education and the Council on Postsecondary Education.  The partnership was strengthened in July 2003 by the organizational transition of Kentucky Adult Education from the Cabinet for Workforce Development to the Council on Postsecondary Education. 
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Enrollment Summary FY01 thru FY04.xls

FY04 Performance Rewards1.xls