CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A story we brought you about a young man who discovered he didn't actually graduate high school seven years ago sparked an interesting debate on social media about whether a GED carries the same weight as a high school diploma.
Whether you have one or the other, 3NEWS learned that more and more local employers are looking beyond that and are more focused on if an applicant has trade skills or training certifications.
"I started when I was about 27 and I was a single mother of four kids and I told myself you need to do something with your life," resident Sabrina Lamb said.
Lamb said she didn't have any skills other than her high school education.
She made the decision to enroll at Del Mar College. Today, she is working on her third degree and secured a job with MMR at OxyChem.
"There's good pay and jobs out there for us," she told Workforce Solutions Coastal Bend.
Lamb said it was all made possible through support from Workforce Solutions Coastal Bend where she applied for financial assistance.
"I've been offered work boots, I've been offered help with getting to and from school with gas cards, help with clothes, Workforce Force has done a lot for me," she said.
Xena Mercado said as companies look for more skilled employees Workforce Solutions will pay you to get trained on the skills you need through scholarships that are available in almost 70 different occupational trainings.
"It's customer's choice, we have eligible training providers on our list from Del Mar, TAMU-CC, TAMU-K, Craft Training Center, you name it," Mercado said. "We partner with all the training providers in the area."
In the last year, over 1,500 people went through the Training Scholarships Program and received funding.
Dr. Leonard Rivera is the Associate Vice President of Continuing Education at Del Mar College and said whether it's a diploma or a GED isn't what employers today really look at most.
"They first and foremost want the individual to have a high school equivalency," Rivera said. "At the end of the day when they want to hire someone they are going to hire that individual based on skills."
For those who do not have a diploma, Del Mar also offers a GED pathway with funding opportunities and classes that start up every month.
"The great thing about this program, grant funded that we got from the Texas Workforce Commission, the program is totally free," he said. "An individual that is in a situation where they need to earn their high school equivalency, they can come to Del Mar at no cost, they get entered into the program at no cost, they could earn these credits in a number of areas, business sector, healthcare sector."
That makes students even more marketable for employers.
Rivera said the endgame is to prepare Coastal Bend residents for well-paying, in-demand jobs.
As far as just how long it takes to get a GED, that varies from person to person.