Essex County College (ECC) and Newark's North Ward Center expand their long-term collaboration with a recently approved agreement in which the College will provide off-campus educational services at the Center.
"This new outreach will help to better serve the predominately Hispanic community in Newark's North Ward," said Charles Lovallo, Executive Dean for Continuing Education & West Essex Campus. "ECC and the North Ward Center have worked cooperatively on a number of educational and other programs dating back to the 1970s."
Essex County College and The North Ward Center have partnered to offer for-credit classes.Adrianne Davis, the Executive Director of The North Ward Center, said the collaboration with Essex County College furthers the Center's mission of providing high-quality services to the surrounding community.
"Many members of our community will benefit by having access to Essex County College's programs right in their backyard," Davis said.
A number of credit courses at the North Ward Center's Newark Business Training Institute, 341 Roseville Avenue, Newark, will begin early next year. General information about the upcoming program offerings is currently available by calling ECC's Community & Extension Office at (973) 877-1878 or the Newark Business Training Institute between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at (973) 268-8900.
The College will have staff on-site at the North Ward Center twice a week to coordinate all programs. Tutors and work-study students will be assigned by ECC as required.
The first of two scheduled informational open houses is set for Saturday, August 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. under the tent at the North Ward Center, 346 Mt. Prospect Ave., Newark. The second will be held later in the fall.
The collaboration makes three extension centers for ECC in Newark. ECC has two educational sites at the Ironbound Extension Center, 432 Lafayette Street, and the FOCUS Extension Center, 433 Broad Street.
Since 2001, ECC and the North Ward Center have collaborated with the College's Adult Learning Center's Adult Literacy Consortium. The consortium, of which ECC is the lead agency, has provided English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, civics courses, and other off-campus educational services to area residents.
"The North Ward Center and Essex County College have a long history of empowering residents of our city," said Stephen N. Adubato, the founder of The North Ward Center. "This latest endeavor continues that tradition."
The ESL Program at the Newark Business Training Institute provides English as a Second Language classes to non-English-speaking adults. The school offers career guidance, resume-writing aid, interviewing techniques and job search assistance.
