AUSTIN, Texas — There's a new tuition-free diploma and career certification program for adults in Austin.
TexasWorks opened a brand new location in Austin on Tuesday. It is one of 23 locations across the state that are part of a charter school district. The program aims to help adults up to age 50 return to school and enhance their future.
Superintendent Elizabeth Camarena said the program is long overdue.
"There are many individuals in our community of all different ages that never had an opportunity. Once you age out of high school, GED was really all that was available, or they try to just get into a career and hope for the best," Camarena said. "This is a landmark opportunity."
As a busy mom of two, Yailyn Quintero is trying to finish something she started many years ago – get her high school diploma.
"I want this for me. I want to wear that little cap and gown," Quintero said. "I want to be able to say I did it."
Quintero is part of TexasWorks' tuition-free diploma and career certification program. She is starting to study entrepreneurship but is looking forward to seeing where her studies will take her.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do for myself," Quintero said.
When someone starts the program, Superintendent Camarena said they assess where they are and then build a flexible program that fits them, allowing students to balance family, career and other life responsibilities.
"We're going to tailor their schedule so that they get the most out of that time," Camarena said. "We want to maximize the opportunity and minimize the frustration and the obstacles so that our students can be successful."
Students can work towards their diplomas with either in-person classes or online learning, depending on what works for them.
For Quintero, that flexibility is something that fits her life right now.
"It allows you to do it from home and come in when you need to tutor, and that's something that I'm really looking for," Quintero said. "I can't make it every day, and the TexasWorks program understands that."
The program is for adults between 18 and 50 years old. It includes region-specific Career and Technical Education (CTE), which allows students to get industry certification and potentially a clearer pathway to better career opportunities.
"These are fields where we know there is an entry-level job available, but also an opportunity to grow within the career so that they have a pathway towards a sustainable future," Camarena said. "Entering maybe at the certified medical assistant level and then growing into the nursing field and going beyond that would be great."
Camarena said they focus on offering career pathways at each location that align with each region's needs. The program partners with local businesses and colleges to help prepare students for careers.
"This program wants you to succeed and wants you to go above and beyond," Salitria Smith said. "Once you get that diploma, the sky is the limit. Whatever you put your mind into, you could do it."
Smith is a single mom of four and is going back to school to show her kids the value of education.
"That shows that I don't play about education. Education is important. You can't turn around and think like, 'If I don't graduate, I don't have to worry about this,'" Smith said. "You have a lot to worry about when you're not a graduate. You get underpaid."
Smith is hoping to go to nursing school and become a nurse. She said she has always enjoyed taking care of people.
"When I was younger, I always cared for my grandparents," Smith said. "I used to always make sure they go to the store, get stuff from the store for them, or help them with their medicine and everything like that."
The program is bridging the gap from the classroom to the workforce for students striving for a better life and career.
"The community is blessed to have something like this that allows you to have no age limit," Quintero said. "Life has no age limit. You can start living at whatever moment you decide to."
For more information about TexasWorks or to apply, you can visit visit texasworks.com.