Get the skills you need to get back to work

Are you without a job, struggling to find work because you lack a high school diploma or industry training, YVC’s adult education program can help you get the skills you need for a new job – one you can support a family on.

Yakima Valley College’s adult education programs are currently providing instruction remotely via online options with additional assistance by phone and email.

Have a question?

Call us: 509.574.6850

Contact us:

Email: ccr@yvcc.edu

How Can I Move Ahead with Adult Ed?

Adult education programs offer you an onramp to a better job and a college education.

You can start with basic classes in reading and math and move on to a class that prepares you to earn your high school equivalency and then into a career training program. If you already have your high school diploma or equivalency, you can go right into one of our career training programs.

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Adult Basic Education

As students complete their studies in ABE they are ready to either enroll in college-level courses or find employment.

Get started in Adult Ed
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General Equivalency Development

GED Preparation is offered to students interested in studying for the GED exam through individualized and classroom support.

Earn Your GED
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Finish High School

Students who are 16+ years of age can earn high school credit in order to earn a high school diploma. We several options to finish high school: High School+, Step Up to College & High School Diploma when completing an Associate Degree.

Finish High School
Why Adult Education

$9,620

How much more a person with a high school diploma or equivalent earns, on average, than a non-graduate.

53%

The percentage increase in income over 10 years for individuals who have a high school diploma or equivalency.

43,000,000

The number of working-age adults in the U.S. who lack the skills needed for many of the nation’s fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs.

73%

The percentage of adults who attained a high school equivalency (HSE) or another indicator of high school completion after participating in federally funded HSE programs and taking all the HSE subtests.

22,000,000

The number of adults in the U.S. without a high school diploma.

63%

The percentage of all U.S. jobs that require at least a high school diploma.

get the skills you need

Adult learners can gain access to better jobs

Special to the Yakima Herald-Republic, Marc Coomer,

For adults who have been thinking about earning their GED or learning to speak English, now is the time to act. Strengthening the skills that employers are demanding is more critical than ever in today’s uncertain, rapidly changing economy.

For more than two decades, the unemployment rate in the Yakima Valley has remained persistently higher than the national average. Even as hiring has picked up in recent months, unemployment in our community remains nearly 2 percentage points higher than Washington state as a whole.

One clear lesson from the COVID pandemic and continuing economic turmoil is that increasing the skills of Yakima Valley’s workforce is essential to the well-being of both individual workers and our community. Unfortunately, here in Yakima County, 25% of adults have less than a high school diploma, leaving many of the fasting-growing and highest-paying jobs out of reach.

Read More

Move Ahead with AdultED

Yakima Valley College is a proud partner of #MoveAheadWithAdultEd, a new national campaign enrolling adult learners into career training programs that equip them with skills that lead to jobs paying a family-sustaining wage.

Move Ahead with Adult ED

Campus Locations and Learning Centers

Yakima Campus

 509.574.6850
​ S. 16th & Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima, WA 98902 (Sundquist​​)

Grandview Campus

 509.882.7000
500 W. Main Street, Grandview, WA 98930​

Ellensburg

509.201.1269
401 E. Mountainview, Ellensburg, WA 98926

Toppenish

509.834.4550
720 West Third Avenue, Toppenish, WA 98948