In May 1909, the Los Angeles Herald published an article by popular journalist Frederic J. Haskin. “Public Lectures in Schools” sang the praises of the adult education system established by New York City earlier. “New York, the one city in the world where a child is taken through the kindergarten, elementary school, high school, and college without one cent of expense, saw no reason why a person should be reckoned as having no further interest in education because he happened to be grown and was among the ranks of the wage earners,” Haskin wrote.

Twenty years after their establishment in New York, adult education programs were still a relatively new and uncommon idea in the United States of 1909. Only a few other cities had embraced New York’s innovation, and none offered as many lectures or had as many students. New York’s free lecture centers grew from six when it started to 178 by 1909. Six lectures had expanded to 116 courses of study covering 707 subjects, according to Haskin, and 22,000 adult students had grown to 1,200,000 over the years.

Who were the New Yorkers attending such lectures? According to letters written to the city’s Department of Education, they included a “man in the iron business,” who wrote “gratefully of the lectures on metallurgy.” One married couple took turns caring for their children while the other spouse went to a lecture for diversion. Scores of other letters showed “the writers to be students of some certain branch, pursuing the lecture course either to benefit themselves in their careers or for the general culture and education given.”

Education and Training Opportunities

What was true for New Yorkers at the beginning of the 20th century remains true today. One of the best ways to enhance one’s career possibilities is through education. Learning new skills gives job seekers a sense of accomplishment while also making them more attractive to employers. The Tri-Valley, a hub for innovation, is known for its highly skilled workforce. Unsurprisingly, the region offers many opportunities for adult education, vocational training, and career development. Below is a guide to selected education and training options for lifelong learners in the area.

• Las Positas College

3000 Campus Hill Drive, Livermore; (925) 424-1000; www.laspositascollege.edu; www.workforcetraining4you.com

In 2024, Las Positas College (LPC) was ranked the number two community college in California and the fourth-best community college in the United States by Niche.com. An estimated 8,500 day and evening students take advantage of the college’s curriculum, which includes courses of study for 24 Occupational Associate Degrees, 17 Transfer Associate Degrees, and 44 Certificate Programs. LPC offers a strong Career Education program in many fields.

Areas of study include Automotive Technology, Drone Technology, Early Care and Education, Fire Service Technology, Horticulture, Occupational Health and Safety, and Viticulture and Winery Technology. The curriculum for each area of study is designed to advance job skills and marketability by featuring industry-trained faculty and support staff. The flexible class schedules make it easier for students to balance the demands of study with work and home commitments, and students benefit from state-of-the-art facilities.

LPC and Chabot College in Hayward are part of the Chabot Las Positas Community College District (CLPCCD), which has its headquarters at Hacienda. Employers may benefit from CLPCCD’s Workforce Training program, which has worked with public and private sector organizations for more than 30 years to address needs for workforce development and upgrading employee skills. Workforce Training can design and deliver a wide range of customized, on-site, or virtual learning solutions, including management and employee training and leadership development. CLPCCD also works to match students with apprenticeship programs. For more information, please visit www.apprenticeship4you.com.

• California State University, East Bay Continuing Education

25800 Carlos Bee Boulevard, Hayward; (800) 730-2784; www.ce.csueastbay.edu

California State University East Bay (CSUEB) Continuing Education provides professional development training and education to Bay Area professionals and beyond. It offers more than 35 degree and certificate programs in fields that include Art and Design, Behavioral and Health Sciences, Business and Management, Cannabis Studies, Construction and Sustainability, Education, Engineering and Project Management, Hospitality, Legal Studies, Medical and Healthcare, Social Work, and Tech Bootcamps.

Programs are taught by industry-experienced and academically acclaimed instructors. Smaller class sizes and instructor-to-student ratio allow for more personal instruction, mentoring, and coaching. The Princeton Review has recognized CSUEB as a “Best in the West” college since 2004. As an extension of the University, Continuing Education aims to expand the reach of its rich educational offerings to adult learners.

CSUEB Continuing Education adapts its programs and services to a diverse and highly complex global marketplace, focusing on real-world takeaways and meeting regional needs. As a result, CSUEB’s programs are highly regarded in the marketplace, which makes it easier for graduates to attain their professional goals. Many of the programs incorporate internship opportunities and career assistance, enabling students to expand their professional goals and build more than just one career path. Students can customize their education to fit their schedules with programs offered at a variety of times and formats including online and at three campus locations in Concord, Hayward, and Oakland.

• Golden Gate University

536 Mission Street, San Francisco; (415) 442-7000; www.ggu.edu

Since 1901, Golden Gate University has helped adults achieve their professional goals by providing undergraduate and graduate education in accounting, law, taxation, business, and related areas. The university's main campus is located in San Francisco, with additional teaching sites in Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Golden Gate University focuses on the future of education with online and hybrid degree and certificate programs that are designed for working adults, empowering busy professionals to pursue world-class degrees from the heart of San Francisco and beyond.

In addition to evening and weekend classes, many courses and degrees are offered entirely online. Since more than 80 percent of the university’s thousands of students attend part-time, classes are offered on campus or online, with programs in the afternoons, evenings, and on weekends. GGU also offers a range of scholarships and grants for undergraduate or graduate students, both on need- and merit-based bases.

More than 60 certificates, undergraduate degrees, and master’s degrees are available from Golden Gate University. Certificate programs can be a great way to add to your previous education, focus on a new area of interest, and earn specialized credentials that could help you qualify for a new role. The Certificate program areas include Accounting, Advanced Studies in Taxation, Analytics for Competitive Advantage, Basic Proficiency in Programming (several languages), Estate Planning Law, Law Enforcement and Security, Operations and Supply Chain Management, and Urban Innovations.

• UC Berkeley Extension

1995 University Avenue, Suite 200, Berkeley; (510) 642-4111; www.extension.berkeley.edu

Founded in 1891, UC Berkeley Extension is the continuing education branch of the University of California, Berkeley. Officials say it empowers individual learners of every generation to realize their educational and career goals by providing access to UC Berkeley's network of instructors, experts, and professionals, creating rich learning experiences to develop skill sets and critical minds, and motivating students to be the change they want to see.

The organization offers more than 1,500 courses each year, including online courses, along with more than 75 professional certificates and specialized programs of study. Program curricula are designed to teach theory and practical skills to enable students to change careers or advance in their current positions. Classes are offered in classroom and multiple online formats to meet the needs of working professionals. Most programs can be started at any time.

To help working adults and full-time students reach their goals, hundreds of courses are offered every term and begin nearly every week of the year. Daytime, evening, and weekend courses are held at locations in Berkeley, San Francisco, and Belmont as well as online. UC Berkeley Extension’s courses, professional certificates, and specialized programs of study cover topics in nine major areas, including Art and Design, Behavioral Health Sciences, Business, Construction and Sustainability, Education, Humanities and Languages, Mathematics, Sciences and Biotechnology, Technology and Information Management, and Writing, Editing, and Technical Communication.

Adult Education Options in Pleasanton

Whether you enjoy learning for its own sake, want to improve your English language skills, or add new skills for your career, there is no shortage of opportunities for adult learners. Three facilities for adult learners are located in the City of Pleasanton itself.

• Pleasanton Unified School District Adult and Career Education

215 Abbie Street, (925) 463-0616, www.adulteducation.pleasantonusd.net

The California Adult Education Program serves state and national interests by providing life-long educational opportunities and support services to all adults. Adult Education programs address the unique and evolving needs of individuals and communities by providing adults with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate effectively as productive citizens, workers, and family members.

Locally, the Pleasanton Unified School District Adult Education program is part of the California network and offers a variety of adult learning opportunities. They include the option to earn a high school diploma and taking the GED, a high school equivalency test. Both of those programs are free to join. In-person daytime and evening English as a Second Language classes at all levels of adult school English courses are also held. Each spring and fall, the City of Pleasanton publishes a catalog of upcoming classes, many of them online. In the spring of 2024, classes included Computer Programming, Digital Marketing, Microsoft Excel at beginner and more advanced levels, Online Career Preparation, and Sewing: The Basics and Beyond.

• City of Pleasanton Library

400 Old Bernal Avenue, (925) 931-3405, www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/your-community/pleasanton-library/resources

The Pleasanton Reads program at the library provides instruction in basic literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL) through free weekly tutoring and ESL Conversation Practice Groups for eligible adults. The program is open to Pleasanton residents 18 years of age or older who are either native English speakers or ESL students and who read below the eighth-grade level.

• Tri-Valley Career Center

5860 Owens Drive, 3rd Floor; (925) 416-5100; www.trivalleycareercenter.org

The Tri-Valley Career Center, located at Hacienda, is a nonprofit service of the Alameda County Workforce Development Board that is managed by the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. There are many choices available through the center, whether you are entering the workforce, changing careers, or looking to grow in your current field, officials say. Some of them are free or low-cost options that range from brushing up on basic skills such as English, math, or computers, to mastering specialized skills such as software programs. Many of these training options can lead to a certificate award in less than two years.

Training opportunities available via the Tri-Valley Career Center include a program that prepares adults for jobs in the warehousing and distribution industry. Participants can become OSHA- and forklift-certified at no cost to them. Another option is the center’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program, which helps job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services. Benefits include scholarships for vocational training certificates in growth industries with positions such as truck driving, medical assistant, project manager, digital marketing, human resource management, accounting, and data analytics. Eligible students also get financial help to take industry-recognized exams, purchase appropriate clothing for interviews, transportation to a new job or job training, and other forms of support.

The San Francisco Bay Area offers a host of distinguished, world-class colleges and universities near Hacienda for undergraduate and graduate education. They include Las Positas College, the University of California, Berkeley, and Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. As the list above shows, adult learners in the Tri-Valley have many compelling options as well.

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash