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Kentucky Adult Education offers educational, training and career resources in all 120 counties of the Commonwealth. We help remove the barriers to education and skills training, so Kentuckians can enjoy a higher quality of life – which betters our communities and accelerates our state’s economic growth.

Our free services described below are provided locally by school systems, community and technical colleges, community-based organizations, educational cooperatives, universities or local government.

Adult Education

Adult Education services provide academic skills instruction, GED^® preparation and reading instruction for eligible adults. These services assist adults in improving educational attainment levels, successfully entering employment and continuing education. Instruction may also include life skills, employability and digital literacy.

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English as a Second Language

ESL instruction is available to adults who want to become more fluent in English, pass U.S. citizenship tests and work on job-seeking skills. English language/civics programs in targeted counties help students acquire the skills and knowledge to become U.S. citizens.

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Family Literacy

With this service, multiple generations within a family learn together to help parents participate in their children’s education, promote interactive literacy activities between parents and children and prepare adults and children for success in education and in life.

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Workforce Education

Kentucky Adult Education programs provide instruction aligned with the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRS) to assist unemployed (and under-employed) individuals, as well as those seeking to transition to postsecondary education. The ultimate goal is employment with family sustainable wages to improve academic and workplaces skills in pursuit of a GED^®, National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) and/or the Kentucky Essential Skills Certificate (KESC).

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Corrections Education

Corrections education consists of adult literacy, adult basic education, adult secondary education/GED^® test credential preparation and/or English as a second language (ESL) for adult criminal offenders. These services are provided at local jails, halfway houses and state correctional institutions.

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Transitions to Post-Secondary Education

Kentucky Adult Education is committed to moving more GED^® graduates on to postsecondary education.

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Preparation for Credentials,
College and Career

Kentucky Office of Adult Education provides free adult education services in each of Kentucky’s 120 counties. The vision of Kentucky Office of Adult Education is that Kentuckians will experience a higher standard of living and quality of life through increased educational attainment. Kentucky Office of Adult Education is committed to providing academic and essential skills instruction to help ensure that Kentucky adults get the education they need for long-term jobs in high-demand fields that provide sustainable wages.

More and more jobs in Kentucky require some level of postsecondary education or training. To support Kentucky’s economic growth and ensure Kentuckians are gaining long-term employment in high-demand fields that provide sustainable wages, more adults must earn postsecondary credentials, from short-term certifications to associate degrees – and beyond. KYAE is the starting point for a significant number of adults who need to build their academic and employment skills for today’s workforce, including those who must earn a GED® diploma before they move forward to training programs and postsecondary education.

Local KYAE programs provide free academic instruction aligned to college- and career-readiness standards, as well as offer preparation and coaching for next steps (i.e., college and career) for:

Individuals without a high school diploma;
High school graduates with academic or employment skill-building needs;
English language learners;
Individuals participating in integrated education and training; and
Individuals in corrections facilities

Through Kentucky Adult Education programs, Kentuckians can prepare for the GED® diploma; postsecondary education and training and employment.

KYAE is committed to ensuring that Kentucky adults have the opportunity to earn the credentials they need (including the GED® diploma) to gain long-term employment in high-demand fields that provide sustainable wages. Of additional concern is the fact that low-skilled adults are two times more likely to be unemployed, three times as likely to live in poverty, four times as likely to be in poor health, and eight times as likely to be incarcerated. Through their services, KYAE providers help individuals enact transformational, generational changes that not only affect the individuals themselves, but their families, their communities and the Commonwealth.

Raising Kentucky's educational attainment is the big goal of the state's strategic agenda for postsecondary and adult education. KYAE programs, from GED® to college preparation, assist Kentuckians with the lowest levels of education succeed in college and career.