The Madison Area Career Learning Center is expanding some of its hours and offerings in order to try to help create a better educated workforce.  Laura Franken, the program director for the Career Learning Center, said they will start with expanding the hours for their GED program. 



Franken said the hours for the GED program will go into effect after July 1st. 
The Career Learning Center has other programs available as well…like the National Career Readiness Certificate.  Jim Baltzer, manager of the Madison office of the South Dakota Department of Labor, said the Certificate program was launched in April of 2010 and offered in Madison in the Fall of 2011.



Baltzer said the N-C-R-C focuses on three targeted skills – reading for information, applied mathematics, and locating information.  He said that they have 36 people who have earned the certificate so far through the Madison office, with 136 more who have since started the process. 
Franken said that the Career Learning Center also offers a number of technology-based courses – from everything from basic computer skills to using Facebook.  The Teknimedia courses are available through the computer labs at the Career Learning Center office, which is located within the Department of Labor’s building on South Van Eps in Madison.  Franken said they are also expanding the hours that the computers labs will be open in order to accommodate more people who are interested in taking the different courses.