Same pathways to learning with a new name

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Ryan Dahlman

By Anna Smith
Commentator/Courier

Whether in Cypress County, Medicine Hat, or the County of Forty Mile, adult learners have worked with community adult learning programs to help them on the next step; now, those programs have united under the singular name of Pathways – Adult Learning Foundations.

“This change demonstrates our commitment to long-term continuity and collaboration and is rooted in a desire to form a cohesive identity which unifies our community adult learning programs at Medicine Hat College,” said the Pathways team. 

Another goal of the change was to help make it apparent to learners that they were working with the same people if they ended up moving or needing to continue their learning in a different office than where they started, said Mandy Pack, program coordinator for Pathways in the Foremost office.

Pathways is a service that focuses on bridging the gap for adult learners on many of the foundational skills required in today’s workforce, including basic literacy and numeracy,  digital skills, and skills for learning.

“There’s a survey and so there’s one in five adults (with) burdens, (and) face literacy and numeracy challenges,” said Pack. “So then we offer that flexible programming, and then we build on the needs of the individual. So programming can look like one-on-one learning in small groups. It can look like independent study with support, online and in person. It can be hard to take that first step on that journey, so we try to make it as easy as possible.”

Pack’s job as the program coordinator is largely to help those who do walk through her doors at the Foremost office determine the exact shape that their adult learning journey will take. She believes that the new name helps summon the image in the minds of prospective learners of exactly that: shaping their new pathway to success.

Pathways is available to all adults needing assistance in charting the next course in their learning journey, and are encouraged to reach out on the new website at pathwaysadultlearning.ca.