Arts students learn work skills at Vermont Adult Learning

Students participating in a new vocational arts program at the Vermont Adult Learning (VAL) center here are learning skills such as digital photography, and may be able to visit actual artists studios in January.

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Arts students learn work skills at Vermont Adult Learning By JEFF EPSTEIN Vtreporter@eagletimes.com 2 hrs ago 0 Facebook Twitter Email VAL Lori Brown, regional director of Vermont Adult Learning. JEFF EPSTEIN Facebook Twitter Email Print Save SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Students participating in a new vocational arts program at the Vermont Adult Learning (VAL) center here are learning skills such as digital photography, and may be able to visit actual artists studios in January. The concept is to show students that it is possible to earn a living in the arts, according to Lori Brown, the regional director of VAL for Windsor County. “It’s the idea that if you are interested in art but have heard that you can't make a living being an artist, that is not necessarily true. So this is a good time to explore … and that's how we came to this project exploring careers in the arts,” she said. The site visits to artist studios will be sponsored by a grant from the Claremont Savings Bank Foundation. The local artists scheduled to participate, subject to change, are Jamie Townsend, Daniel O'Donnell, Chris Sherwin, and Nick Kekic, she said. “They are right here in this area. They are earning their living doing that. They are going to show what they do for work … and talk about the financial side of it.” Vermont Adult Learning helps persons age 16 and older who are not attending school to complete a high school education by meeting diploma requirements. The state is now in the midst of transitioning from a credit-based diploma program to diplomas based on student proficiencies. This requirement will take effect in Vermont beginning with the graduating class of 2020, according to the state agency of education. In addition to the arts program, VAL offers other skill-building programs, such as mathematics. Students enter a VAL program after being referred by someone, often from a social service agency or another source. Then they go through a “really thorough assessment,” to learn their strengths and weaknesses, Brown said. “We also work with people to do their GEDs (General Equivalency Degree), and then we help with skill building for people who want to go to college but they have been out of school a long time, or math was never their strong suit. So we'll help people who have a high school diploma but need to do some skill building,” the director said. “When you say the arts, you're talking about a huge range, things like graphic design, all kinds of things in technology. A lot of these things, you don't need a four-year college degree, you need a certificate. So what we are really doing with students … is helping them to look beyond high school to what's next — credentials, certificates, college, on-the-job training, that sort of thing. So we're applying all that same focus to the arts.” VAL, which also has a center in White River Junction, is an independent organization funded by the federal government, the state of Vermont, and some private grants, Brown said. Facebook Twitter Email Print Save