Lifelong Learning
Attending college for the first time as an adult or returning to continue your education represents a big step. About 42% of the students enrolled in Oklahoma's public colleges and universities are 25 or older.
Attending college for the first time as an adult or returning to continue your education represents a big step. About 42% of the students enrolled in Oklahoma's public colleges and universities are 25 or older.
Today's job market demands that we make learning a lifelong process, constantly acquiring new skills, education, and training. Whether you're embarking on a totally new career in mid-life; going back for that advanced degree to help position yourself for a promotion; or volunteering in a field completely different from your paid job, lifelong learning promises a life filled with excitement, wonder, and healthy challenges. Here you'll find the information and resources you need to:
Attending college for the first time as an adult or returning to continue your education represents a big step. But you won't be alone. About 30 percent of undergraduates and nearly 60 percent of graduate students in Oklahoma public colleges are 25 or older. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education offer a variety of programs and services for adult students. Links are listed in the right-hand column on the Regents' Adult Students page. Other resources include:
Created by the State Regents and CareerTech, Cooperative Alliances create a more student-centered collaboration between technology centers and higher education institutions. Adults can receive college credit in technical courses at partnering technology centers that lead to a certificate or an associate's degree in Applied Science.
Through these alliances, Oklahoma hopes to increase the number of adults beginning or continuing their educations, expand access to college, and efficiently use federal, state, and local resources. For more information about eligibility requirements and costs, see this Cooperative Alliances FAQ from the State Regents, this CareerTech Cooperative Alliances guide, or contact your local CareerTech campus.
The following programs, services, and resources can help you change careers or advance in your current field through additional training and certification:
Community colleges offering child development programs also provide an 18-credit-hour certificate program consisting of 15 credit hours in early childhood development and three hours of English composition to employees working in licensed child care facilities.
This partnership uses distance learning, accelerated course work, nontraditional class time, and on-site training opportunities. For more information, contact Kiki McWilliams, kmcwilliams@osrhe.edu, (405) 225-9397 or visit the Scholars for Excellence in Child Care website.
The Lifelong Learning Section of the Oklahoma State Department of Education, offers facts and statistics about literacy; literacy resources for teachers and tutors, students, program managers, and administrators; information on grants and funding; a list of adult learning centers, and a variety of useful links and directories.
Adult education and literacy programs offered by SDE include adult basic education; corrections education; ESL (English as a Second Language) and EL/Civics; family literacy; information on the Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) program; work-based education; adult education and literacy activities; and information on GED (General Education Development) testing.
Find an Adult Learning Center near you
Find a GED Testing Center near you
Workforce Oklahoma currently operates 52 Workforce Oklahoma Centers, also known as One-Stop Centers, throughout the state. These centers provide career counseling, skill assessments, training for new and incumbent workers, job search assistance, and referrals to specialized programs and services.
The centers provide Oklahoma's employers with pre-screened job applicants, labor market information, tax credit programs, and a variety of training assistance tailored to the needs of individual companies. To find your Workforce Oklahoma center, call (888) 840-WORK or visit www.workforceok.org/locator.html