Vermont adult-education leaders tell Senate committee programs are bridging workers to jobs but need more support

Brian Kravitz, director of outreach and workforce development at Central Vermont Adult Education, told the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee on April 25 that adult-education programs statewide are a key on-ramp to work.

"There are close to 30,000 out of school Vermonters aged 18 plus without a high school credential," Kravitz said, and the statewide adult-education network served about 2,200 students last year and expects to serve slightly more this year.

Why it matters: Committee members heard that adult-education providers supply basic literacy, high-school completion, English-language instruction and targeted workforce readiness that can feed hard-to-fill roles and weatherization crews — but program capacity and clarity in legislative language and budgets limit scale.

What witnesses described: Kravitz outlined services including reading, writing, math, computer literacy, financial-literacy partnerships with banks, citizenship preparation and…