The Creation and Use of a State-Issued Certificate Program, Recognized and Driven

The Creation and Use of a State-Issued

Certificate Program, Recognized and Driven

by Business and Industry

The Creation and Use of a State-Issued

Certificate Program, Recognized and Driven

by Business and Industry

Presenter: Patricia BatesWAGE Coordinator at SouthArkansas Community CollegeAdult Education Section &Chair of State WAGE Advisory

History of the AR WAGE Certificate Program Formation of a Certificate Program

Certificate Types and Requirements Forming a Community Alliance

Standard Competencies, Customized Instruction

Return on Investment Marketing the Program

Question & Answer Period

PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS

History of the Arkansas WAGE Certificate

Program

WAGE stands for Workforce Alliance for Growth in the EconomyTM

WAGE is a work-based certificate program in Arkansas

WAGE was not always WAGE, it evolved Not surprisingly, WAGE grew out of the

SCANS era in the late 1980’s when industry strongly noticed the skills shortage for competing in the new technological, global economy

History of the AR WAGE Certificate Program

WAGE’s Logo

Employers who value and reward competent employees

Educators who respond to employers’ needs

Employees who understand the connection between employment and education

History of the AR WAGE Certificate Program

WAGE’s Motto

History of the AR WAGE Certificate Program

“Linking today’s workforce with

tomorrow’s jobs.”

Formation of a Certificate Program

$ WAGE in Arkansas has formalized start-up manual for adult education programs

$ Adult education programs in Arkansas voluntarily choose to become a certified WAGE program

$ WAGE is supported out of a program’s regular budget

Formation of a Certificate Program

To become a WAGE Certified Center, a program must: Form an alliance that includes no less than six (6)

businesses from their community Visit other WAGE centers Take Literacy Task Analysis (LTA) / functional

hooks training Perform six (6) LTAs on local businesses Acquire signed agreements from alliance

members Present start-up documentation for approval

before the state committee

The Start-up Steps

5

12

3

45 6

Formation of a Certificate Program

Local employers agree to: Give added consideration to job and promotion

candidates with WAGE certificates Allow adult educators to perform literacy task

analyses on critical entry level jobs within their company

Assist with providing classroom space and materials when needed

Employers’ RolesFormation of a Certificate Program

AR State WAGE Advisory CommitteeFormation of a Certificate Program

Once certified, the center holds a voting position on the state WAGE

advisory committee

KEY PLAYERS

• Business & Community Support• Institutional Support• Client/Employee Participation

What Will it Take To Start

-Necessary Components- Collaboration Spirit of Volunteerism Resourcefulness Fearless Innovation Local Customization Cheerleading

Certificate Types and Requirements

Certificate Types and Requirements

Competencies

WAGE students complete standard competencies determined by businesses

statewide, but taught locally within the context of local businesses

Certificate Types and Requirements

Certificates

There are three certificates: Industrial, Clerical, and EmployabilityThe Industrial and Clerical require all of the

WAGE Competencies, along with some additional requirements

The Employability allows for flexibility in competency selection and additional requirements

Certificate Types and RequirementsIndustrial Certificate

Clerical Certificate Certificate Types and Requirements

Certificate Types and RequirementsEmployability Certificate

Certificate Types and RequirementsEmployability Certificate

A la carteCompetencies

Who are the students?WAGE serves those students whose reading, language, and mathematics skill levels measure less than 12.9 by the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE).

Certificate Types and Requirements

Certificate Types and RequirementsThe WAGE Test

Educators have devised an Arkansas-specific WAGE test that tests all competencies using work-related scenarios and documents that came out of Arkansas businessesMost questions on the WAGE test require an observable, constructive answerThis test ensures consistency in competency achievement since competency lessons are customized to local businesses but must be verified for a state certificate.

Forming a Community Alliance

Starting from scratch can take 12-24 monthsUse connections already in placeEnsure each stakeholder has a interest that relates to

the intended outcomes of the program; choose a focused chairperson

Meeting times should be most conducive to the consensus of the group, centering it around a normal meal time (breakfast, lunch, or dinner) tends to free up most people and has an added lure of food to ensure attendance

Forming a Community Alliance

WHO MAKES UP THE ALLIANCE?WAGE works with all community agencies:service providers (family, human, and employment services)local and state government (Workforce Investment Boards, mayors, city councils)economic development (Chambers of Commerce, development boards)job training programs and job placement agenciesother educational entities

Forming a Community Alliance

““No Wrong-Door Policy”No Wrong-Door Policy”

Industrial Industrial CoordinatorCoordinator

W.A.G.E.W.A.G.E.StudentStudent

PT & FT PT & FT Employment Employment

AgenciesAgencies

Civic Civic ClubsClubs

Chamber of Chamber of CommerceCommerce

Business & Business & IndustryIndustry

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?? City, City,

CountyCounty andandStateState

GovernmentGovernment

Green Green ThumbThumb

DHSDHS

JTPAJTPA

ESDESD

AdultAdult Education Education

Business & Industry Support

Advisory Board - 51% Business Chair from Business/IndustryBusiness Must Identify NeedsBusiness Must Communicate

Standard Competencies;

Customized Instruction

Standard Competencies (handout) Customized, prioritized, and proportionately

emphasized based on business and industry findings from the Literacy Task Analysis

Taught within an actual workplace context, using “functional hooks” to help students “learn to learn”

Standard Competencies; Customized Instruction

The Literacy Task Analysis Educators work with the participating employers to determine the community’s workforce educational needsEducators go to the workplace and analyze the basic skills needed to perform the jobEducators keep frequency charts for each competencyEducators make note of which skills impact production, profit, and safety the most

Standard Competencies; Customized Instruction

Contextual Lessons and Functional Hooks Educators build contextual, customized lessons

for skills considered most important and occurring most frequently Educators develop “Functional Hooks” within the

lessons to help students see the basic skills application with a real work scenario Educators have correlated appropriate supplemental materials to the competencies

Standard Competencies; Customized Instruction

Assessment Intervention/EducationPost AssessmentReferral for Job Placement

What does WAGE Training look like?

ASSESSMENT TABE - 7A or 8A, full battery or Survey Careerscope Assessment - interest and

aptitude WAGE Post Test - test of 112 WAGE Competencies Spatial Relations Test Dexterity Test Computer Literacy Test

EDUCATION GED Instruction &/or Basic Skills Certified Adult Ed. Instructors Quality Textbooks Computer Tutorial Programs-

PLATO, Passkey, SkillsBank Computer Literacy Software Employability Training

Return on Investment

THE BUSINESS TAKE ON RETURN ON INVESTMENT$ Production improves. $ Quality goes up.$ Waste is reduced. $ Profits increase.$ Safety incidents are reduced.$ Customer satisfaction improves.$ Employee retention improves.$ Recruitment costs are reduced.$ Employee attitudes improves.$ Employees show more interest and success at next level of technical training.$ Employer competes better in a global

economy; likelihood of longevity improves.

Return on Investment

Return on Investment

COMMUNITY RETURN ON INVESTMENT$ Companies increase profits.$ Increase profits improve wages.$ Better wages retain better employees.$ Better wages increases an individual’s spending power.$ Better employees provides increased likelihood employer will stay in the area.$ Increased spending power comes back to improve the community through improved tax base, tourism, economic growth.$ Improved communities attract good business and good employees.

Marketing the Program

Marketing the Program

On a shoestring with no assigned marketing dollars: Using available web site Using PowerPoint and speaking to groups Making local Workforce Investment Boards

aware that we already exist and invented the cooperative, collaborative approach

Do-it-yourself brochures (handout) Newspaper articles on successful completers Special project newspaper advertisement Volunteer multimedia project

Marketing the Program

Best Cheerleader: Business and industry themselves

Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers

Questions

SuggestionsAnswers

Contact Information

Patricia Bates

pbates@southark.cc.ar.us

870-862-8131 ext.182

www.aalrc.org/html/we/wage.html