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From a Diploma to a Job and Career — ADP Changes Lives
The Adult Diploma Program (ADP) is offering second chances for adults across Ohio, including those relying on Buckeye Career Center (BCC) for the opportunity. ADP, in its fourth year at BCC, has afforded a high school diploma to 149 adult students, many of whom have used the second chance after past setbacks or to build a new career path, all at no cost.
This school year alone, 100 adults are enrolled in ADP at BCC, and 92 of those students have already passed the required WorkKeys academic assessment. So far, 52 students have earned their diploma during the 2024-25 school year. These numbers represent 12% of BCC's total adult enrollment.
The program is short-term, accessible, and often the first step toward a better future, according to Frank Polen, BCC’s Director of Curriculum, Instruction, & Adult Education.
“The Adult Diploma Program has helped students who, for one reason or another, did not complete their high school diploma, in a traditional sense. However, I always say, education is not a race,” said Polen. “I myself am a product of parents without high school diplomas, and in many cases, I lived the hardship of this. ADP would have been
Buckeye Career Center Adult Director Frank Polen, Kim Turpin, (STNA) ADP graduate, and Assistant Director Steve Rippeth (Left to Right)
the ideal program for them, so I have a real passion for such programs.” Polen believes that ADP helps remove previously existing barriers for many. “I have seen students move from diploma to job to career. In a few cases, students have continued to further postsecondary options at our Ohio Technical Center and other higher education institutions.”
For David and Taci Dean of Coshocton, ADP did exactly that. The couple enrolled together—David in welding and Taci in sales & marketing. David was hired as a welder immediately after completing his course and is now working at Cleveland Cliffs in Conesville as part of its maintenance apprenticeship program. The two enrolled in the programs to set a good example for their then-nineyear-old daughter.
"It was emotional. It hurt. Just because I wanted my daughter to see both of us succeed," David said. "I buckled down even harder and studied even harder." Upon completion, David praised the program and the skills he learned. “I can’t thank them enough, they changed our lives basically,” David said. “Anybody who has heard about it or is thinking about it—it’s definitely worth it if you put forth the effort.”
BCC’s Adult Diploma Program is coordinated by Steve Rippeth, BCC’s Assistant Adult Education Director, who handles the credentialing, while Mindy Haney, the Aspire Coordinator, assists with the WorkKeys testing. For more information on ADP, visit your local Ohio Technical Center’s website or visit https://education.ohio.gov/ Topics/Testing/Ohio-Options-for-Adult-Diploma/AdultDiploma-Program
Quotes sourced from Leonard L. Hayhurst, “David and Taci Dean have brighter future after completing adult ed program,” Coshocton Tribune, March 29, 2024.
