CASAS welcomes the Career Development Academy (CDA) at James Madison University (Virginia), one of our newest NEDP sites. The Career Development Academy was established in 2005 to meet the educational and career needs of immigrant language learners. The CDA now serves all adults in the area with a pathway to a high school diploma, a transition to work or college, and a tool to improve economic and career prospects. Especially with the External Diploma Program addition, CDA is now poised to offer all adult members of Harrisonburg City - Rockingham County a pathway to transition from adult education to higher education or career success.

The Academy provides a rich and supportive environment for potential NEDP clients who need to remediate skills. They offer non-credit courses in English as a second language, math, science, social studies and language arts. Clients are introduced to opportunities for service, study, and research. The college environment also provides an environment for NEDP graduates to transition to higher education or careers.

After completing their training in early May and then advertising and marketing the program in the area, The Career Development Academy just started serving its first clients. Stephen Lambert, a newly trained NEDP Advisor/Assessor, has been actively involved in this marketing. He stated, “NEDP is a vital tool in our mission to transition all adults and especially immigrant language learners from adult education to higher education and to successful employment. NEDP uses a range of performance assessment tasks to measure academic and career achievement. It’s a perfect fit [for] adult education. Offering a diploma program gives [CDA] credibility and attention with peers in the College of Education at James Madison University, with the local community college, with [area] businesses.”

Career Development Academy NEDP Staff (left to right) Stephen Lambert (Lead Teacher), Lisa Schick (Director), and Helen Wei (Administrative Assistant)

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