Through the Adult Learning Center (ALC), Middlesex Community College offers free noncredit, basic education courses for Massachusetts adult learners who are 16+. This includes preparation courses to sit for high school equivalency testing, attending college or job training, or obtaining employment. In April, MCC hosted a ceremony for students who earned their high school credential through the GED® and HiSET® exams.

“The Adult Learning Center helped me so much,” said Veble Hann, an ALC student from Lowell. “By the end of the semester, I understood how to write an essay and do math again. I know it was the teachers they had that made it easier. My main advice I will give to future students is to ‘not give up!’”

Students in the program attended evening classes to help them get familiar with what college is and how it works. In the free classes, students improve their reading, writing and math skills for a well-rounded academic program. To help them be more competitive in the job market, students are prepared to take the high school equivalency exams, polish their English skills, and boost their knowledge.

“The Adult Learning Center helped me so much. By the end of the semester, I understood how to write an essay and do math again. I know it was the teachers they had that made it easier. My main advice I will give to future students is to ‘not give up!’” - Veble Hann, MCC ALC Student

“The ALC is proud of every student who takes steps toward or achieves their goals,” said Joy DeHaan, MCC’s ALC Program Coordinator. “We were excited to host these students at a small event where we presented them with a certificate of achievement, gifted them a graduation cap, and took pictures to commemorate their success.”

Sponsored by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the ALC has been helping students since 1995. At all times, the Center supports 85 or more adult learners – with 25 to 35 different countries of origin represented – who bring with them a wide variety of backgrounds, skills and goals.

In 2023, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced that the state will cover the cost of Mass. residents’ initial GED® and HiSET® tests in each subject, as well as two retakes. To qualify to take the free classes, students must be a resident of Massachusetts.

In order to complete classes at the ALC, students must also have a computer with a keyboard, speaker, microphone and camera, reliable internet access, be able to attend and participate in live class sessions in-person and online, as well as complete homework outside of class.

About the ALC, Alice Sharp, of Tewksbury said, “You’ve changed my life.”

Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/adultlearning for more information about MCC’s Adult Learning Center.