Opening doors to opportunity

Education is your key to success

Our programs are designed to unlock your full potential

We work one-on-one with the adults who enter our programs. We support them and encourage them, so they can compete confidently and comfortably in today’s demanding work environment.

Success Stories

Robert Cook

Robert Cook says going back into the classroom as an adult gave him a second chance. He had struggled with reading and writing through his school years. “The teachers did their best, but they couldn’t really help me.”

He’d settled into a job collecting shopping carts at a grocery store when he decided to give learning another shot.

He saw a notice in a newspaper about classes run by the Western Halifax Community Learning Network.

“They’ve really helped me. I got new skills, I met new people, I got to open up more, and I got more confident. There are still things I want to learn. I’m still moving forward.”

In our photograph, Robert is sitting with his instructor, Rose-Anne Smeltzer. Rose-Anne says she enjoys seeing learners like Robert grow in confidence: “A learner’s reaction when they realize they are good at something they always thought they couldn’t do, is priceless.”

Now Robert is an enthusiast advocate of the community learning network’s program. “I would encourage anyone who is struggling with reading, writing or other skills to sign up for a course.”

Michael Latham

“I dropped out of school at age 16, halfway through grade 11. I’d been skipping off school, I was failing all my classes, my focus was elsewhere.

I did some part-time work before I found a job at Leo’s Donair, and I’ve been there 13 years. I take great pride in making the donair meat, but I know that that job won’t give me everything I want from life. I want to own a home of my own.

I’d been thinking about getting back in the classroom to get my GED, but it was not economically possible. I looked at some ways of doing the GED, but they were out of my price range.

Then a friend and co-worker said he was going to get his GED through the WHCLN, and he asked me to join him. We found we could do it for free, in small groups, and it was close to home – just five minutes down the road from my home in Timberlea.

With help from WHCLN I got my GED in 10 months. I now understand that I had a non-verbal learning disorder. I couldn’t study well if there were too many people in the class, it was confusing. And in school the teachers didn’t have the time to provide the attention I needed.

With the learning network we were in small groups, and the instructor was able to give a lot of 1 – 1 instruction. That really helped.

Getting the GED gave me a great sense of pride. It gives me access to other opportunities, and the chance to follow in my father’s footsteps and work as a social worker.

Looking round, I see how others struggle to get ahead. They don’t have the resources. They may be marginalized and not have access to good support groups. I’ve noticed a lot of support groups rely heavily on religion. I think there should be more secular choices available to people. I’d like to help those folks who perhaps don’t feel attracted to some of the resources out there.

I’d say to anyone who missed out on qualifications at school, if you don’t have your GED, go and get it. It will make you feel better, and feeling better is a big step towards doing better.”

Jessica Mercer

I dropped out of High School at 16, in grade 10. I didn’t do well in school: I had a lot of anxiety and there was a teacher’s strike and I feel like I missed out.

I hung about for a couple of years, and then at 19 I went to the Superstore. I serve hot meals at the home-ready meals section. I think I’m pretty good at my job, and I’ve been given a chance to progress, but I have to think longer-term.

My ambition is to join the military. I think I’d have more educational opportunities, more prospects, more pay and a pension. I was in the air cadets for a time when I was young. In 8th and 9th grades I was in 250 Vimy Air Cadets.

My next step is to see a military career counsellor and prepare for the pre-entry test.

It’s been a while since I was at school, so I wanted to improve my basic math, writing, comprehension.

I signed up for classes with WHCLN. I like the smaller classes and the 1 – 1 time with the instructor. At school there were so many distractions. I’m learning better in the WHCLN environment than I ever did at school.

I’ve completed four exams so far – science, two English exams, and social studies. I passed all those. There’s just math to go and then I can say I have my GED.

I would definitely recommend classes with WHCLN to anyone who wants to upgrade their skills.

Attending the classes with WHCLN has given me more social skills and allowed me to meet people with different backgrounds and different stories. I feel more confident.

Chad Dannells

I left school at 17 before taking GED. Life got in the way. I accepted the first job I found. It was next door to my house, making donair meat. I got lucky with the job, because the employer became a mentor to me.

But as time went on, I knew I wanted the GED so I could tell prospective employers I had it. I knew it would open doors to me, to a better job and higher pay.

Going back to the classroom at age 40 was tough, but I got a lot of support. The instructor was awesome. He was so patient, and went out of his way to help me with subjects I had trouble with.

I passed the GED in June. I feel a real sense of accomplishment. Every time I took an exam and passed it was really fulfilling. I feel more confident. I feel smarter.

What would I say to others about going back to the classroom as adult learners? Do it. If the thought is in your mind, do it. You won’t regret it.

Roy Scott was almost 70 when he learned to read.

“At 16, and in a Grade 7 class, I still couldn’t read much, and I was embarrassed, because I was older than the other kids. I wasn’t doing well in school because of my learning disability, though we didn’t know then there was such a thing. The principal said to me, ‘You’ll never be anything. You’ll be a ditchdigger or a fisherman.’ And I said, ‘What’s wrong with that?’”

Roy Scott held a variety of jobs, and owned his own business. But his low literacy was an emotional burden. “I was embarrassed to talk to people. There was a lot more I could have done, but I didn’t have confidence.” So, in his sixties, Roy Scott signed up for our adult literacy classes. He says it boosted his confidence, and erased the embarrassment that began in childhood.

“If someone thinks they’re too old to learn to read and write, I’d like to talk to them,” he says.

Western Halifax CLN

Dale Kaizer started GED at age 55.

“Like most things in my life, the initial decision to take the GED classes was motivated by my family. One day after offering advice to my grandchild he replied, “Why should I take advice from a high school drop out, who doesn’t even have a job?” Shortly after, I decided to make some changes in my life, such as getting back into the work force and completing my high school education.

“Without the GED I would have been lost. My greatest achievement from taking the GED class is the respect I’ve earned from others, especially my family. Most important is the self respect I’ve regained, along with a new outlook on life.

“You could say, it has made a new man out of me. I know now who I am, and who I was always meant to be.”

GED Nova Scotia