As part of its "Go On" initiative, an effort to boost state-wide enrollment in postsecondary education or training, the Boise-based J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation has awarded grants totaling almost $1 million to the College of Southern Idaho, the Times-News reports.

The grants will fund two College of Southern Idaho programs that aim to increase the number of non-traditional students who enroll in or return to higher education programs. The Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language programs will receive $760,000 over two years to fund scholarships, hire a college success facilitator, and support on-campus employment programs. In addition, the foundation awarded $225,000 over three years to the Alternative High School Dual Credit Success Pilot Program, which works to help non-traditional students make progress toward their college degree before graduating from high school.

"The fact that Idaho's retention rates are so low, coupled with the knowledge that by 2018, 61 percent of new jobs in Idaho will require some postsecondary education, convinced us that we needed to do more to seek a solution to this problem," Albertson Foundation executive director Jamie MacMillan told the Times-News.