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September 16-20, 2024: Adult Education and Family Literacy Week

WHEREAS, adult education and family literacy prepares Michiganders with the academic, technical, literacy, and employability skills they need to advance in their communities, education, and careers; and

WHEREAS, adult education is an economic catalyst helping the over 517,360 individuals at the working age of 18-64 in the state without a high school diploma or equivalency attain these credentials, learn English for life skills, inspire multigenerational education attainment, and help people land good-paying, family-sustaining wage jobs; and,

WHEREAS, the single largest investment in adult education the state made last year is creating pathways for historically underrepresented populations to access training and postsecondary opportunities, creating a talent pipeline and highly skilled workforce; and,

WHEREAS, adult education and family literacy programs in Michigan offer a diverse delivery approach that meets families and learners where they are and offers multiple ways to build their reading, writing, and mathematical skills; and,

WHEREAS, adult education connects Michiganders to additional educational opportunities and serves as a foundation for meeting the state’s Sixty by 30 educational goal; and,

WHEREAS, adult education and family literacy in Michigan continue to create community-centered programming, and connect residents to training and employment opportunities and ongoing postsecondary options; and,

WHEREAS, adult education and family literacy programs support the State Workforce Plan, a comprehensive, all-access roadmap that lays out ambitious strategies and data-driven actions needed to build on the state’s success and ensure all Michiganders have the skills, opportunities, and support they need to make it in Michigan; and,

WHEREAS, during this week, we join the Michigan Adult, Community, and Alternative Education Association, to encourage youth, adults, and families in Michigan to be connected with adult education and family literacy, highlighting that the residents, educational system, economy, and workforce of Michigan benefit from high-quality programming that raises literacy levels and prepares more Michiganders for 21st-century high demand, high skilled and high wage employment;

NOW THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim September 16-20, 2024, as Adult Education and Family Literacy Week in Michigan.