Though it is not located on campus, the Adult Community Training Center (ACTC) is a vital and important resource for the college and the entire Glendale community. The center offers General Education Development classes and non-transferable courses for single parents on welfare and on site day care.
The center is located at 1122 E. Garfield Ave. and is a campus unto itself. The two-story complex is the size of a small middle school. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-serve basis, and registration in non-credit adult education classes may be completed in the classroom on the first regularly scheduled meeting of the class.
The center houses the Office Skills Center classes,the Developmental Skills laboratory, the Adult Education Office and English as a Second Language classes
General Education Development Tests are given monthly at the center. It also offers Community Services Education. These non-credit courses are fee-based and are designed to serve individuals with educational goals that do not require college credit, although some require prerequisites.
They provide the community with opportunities for cultural enrichment, personal and professional growth, and recreational enjoyment.
The business and career section is useful to those seeking a short path to gainful employment.
In just six weeks students can receive a certification to work as a Hospital Unit Secretary. Students will learn how to process doctors’ orders, maintain patient charts, and other skills necessary to become a member of a hospital team. These jobs often pay well, include a healthcare plan, and can lead to other more lucrative jobs in the same field.
It is also possible to obtain certificates in fields such as bookkeeping, medical insurance billing, property management, certified loan signing, and many useful “how-to” courses.
Another important service the center provides is the CalWorks program. The CalWorks program was created through the Welfare to Work program, mandated by the federal government as part of reforms instituted by Congress in the early 90s. Falling under the umbrella of CalWorks is the Temporary Aid for Needy Families program and a monitoring and support program called Greater Avenue for Independence.
CalWorks is a skills program and all courses are free of charge. Classes include accounting, bookkeeping, and job searching. There are 2,000 students in the program. “Most people who qualify for the program don’t know about it,” said Juliet Sulian, program assistant for CalWorks.
These courses give people on Welfare and General Relief the opportunity to attain the skills needed to find work when the mandatory five-year period to receive aid has expired.
Sulian said many people have had their lives transformed by the classes. She said she really loves her job.
“I enjoy helping people,” Sulian said. She also said they often start out thinking they could never do the things they end up doing for a living.
These people go from being helpless and dependent on the system to leading productive, useful lives. They become self-supporting, self-sufficient individuals. The program allows these people to sometimes escape abusive relationships and living situations.
Greater Avenue for Independence is a part of the program that the state uses to follow the progress of the participants. Each student is assigned a caseworker who helps the student along the way.
The many programs and services offered at ACTC provide the adult community the opportunity to improve their lives.