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Welcome to the Commons!
 Having outgrown their current
locations, the Durango Adult Education Center (DAEC) and the
Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) founded the Southwest
Institute for Education and Conservation (SIEC) in February
2007 to purchase and manage a building to house
post-secondary education providers, vocational preparation
programs, and educational nonprofits. The building has been
named, The Commons – one stop learning where learning never
stops.
Our vision for The Commons is to provide an umbrella of
educational, career, technical, environmental conservation
and family support services under one roof. The Commons will
be the first of its kind in the country to offer day,
evening, and weekend childcare for students. The Commons
will also provide educational services in a supportive
environment for on-the-ground job training in fire
mitigation and conservation, GED preparation, English for
Speakers of Other Languages programs, a vocational college,
a community college, a four-year college and master’s degree
programs.
 The Benefits to SW Colorado
- Serve employer needs
by providing a better trained and educated workforce;
- Boost economic growth
by increasing educational levels and job skills for
residents in our region. A college graduate made 75%
more than their high school graduate counterparts last
year – a trend that has been increasing for many years.
For example, in 1979, the differential between the
college and high school graduates earnings were 38%;
- Offer opportunities
for parents in our community by providing childcare
during classes;
- Increase enrollment
for partnering educational organizations due to the ease
of transition from one level to the next. Typically, 60%
of GED graduates go on to post secondary education vs.
90% that enter post secondary education when GED centers
are co-located on a college campus; and,
-
 Provide the
cost-saving benefits of synergy and allow partner
organizations to focus more resources on students due to
the centralized childcare, and shared administrative
resources, classrooms, computer labs, teacher workspace,
meeting rooms, kitchen and poly-com suites.
For more information about The Commons, please click
below to view our informational video.
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