ALBANY COUNTY — Nearly a quarter of the county’s probationers — 307 — lack a high school education.

A new program will give them a chance to earn their High School Equivalency, or HSE, diploma.

A survey determined that 105 of these probationers are interested in participating in a program to earn their diplomas. The program will require a minimum of 10 to 12 hours per week once started.

An educational assessment will be conducted at the beginning of the course to determine the level of schooling that will be required to complete the course, which could take anywhere between three months to a year for participants to complete.

The program will officially launch on Jan. 5, 2022.

The initiative is a partnership between the Albany County Executive’s Office, the County Probation Department, Capital Region BOCES, the Capital District Educational Opportunity Center, and the State University of New York.

The partners gathered this week at the County Probation Department in Albany to cut the ribbon on the computer lab and classroom that participants will use.

“This program, the first of its kind that enlists BOCES, will help to break the cycle of those involved in the criminal justice system who are trapped in low-paying jobs and struggling to get their lives back on track, and ultimately prevent future crime,” said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy in a release, announcing the program.

“Many probationers find their court mandated employment unsatisfying, so we wanted to create a system that provides greater opportunities for stable and reliable employment, which can often come from education. This can deter individuals from negative choices and reduce their chances of recidivism,” said Albany County Probation Department Director Bill Connors in the release.

Fifteen workstations equipped with computers provided by the county will be available in the classroom, with one being designated for use by an on-site teacher. These computers will be available for students to complete assignments or to remotely access services provided by the Capital District Education Opportunity Center.

Board of Cooperative Educational Services programming will be staffed by a certified teacher provided by Capital Region BOCES, as well as the program coordinator.

As this programming will be scheduled for late in the day, possibly into the evening hours, BOCES and the EOC will provide all testing and instructional materials.

The county probation department will provide the classroom space, computers, and internet service for students to access educational resources.The classroom will be available three days/nights per week for BOCES instruction, and EOC students will access the classroom during regular business hours for remote instruction.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer