Workforce Skills Certificates:Enhancing Curriculum and Student Outcomes
COABE 2007 National ConferenceMarch 27, 2007
Melissa Dayton, Adult Training and Development Network
Dan Wann, Adult Education Professional Development Project
Contact Information
Melissa DaytonAdult Training and Development Network (CT)[email protected]
Dan WannAdult Education Professional Development Project (IN)[email protected]
CT Young Adult Learner Initiative
The goals: Increase the involvement of young
adults without a high school diploma with their own education
Develop a system of academic, support, and workforce preparation programs to ready these young adults for employment in the 21st Century
Connecticut State Department of Education
CT Young Adult Learner Initiative
YoungAdult
Learner
Enhanced Academics
ComprehensiveSupport Services
WorkforcePreparation
Diploma and Workforce Skills Certificate
Post-Secondary Education Employment
Connecticut State Department of Education
YAL Workforce Preparation
YoungAdult
Learner
Enhanced Academics
ComprehensiveSupport Services
WorkforcePreparation
• Career exploration
• Work-based learning experience
• Workforce Skills Certification System
Certificate Program Elements
Certification standards and expectations
Preparation pathway: assessment and curriculum
Connection to world of work: information, assessment, experience
Employer involvement: collaboration and endorsement
CASAS Workforce SkillsCertification System
Skill areas Reading Math Problem Solving Critical Thinking
Skill levels High Secondary Education
Transferable across occupations and industries
Appraisal and pre/post assessments
Reading Competencies Comprehend, explain, and analyze
information from a variety of works, including primary source materials and professional journals
Use context clues and higher order processes to interpret meaning of written material
Interpret job-related documents such as spreadsheets, flow charts, signs, diagrams
Math Competencies
Perform all basic math functions with whole numbers, decimals, and fractions
Interpret and solve simple algebraic equations, tables, and graphs and can develop own tables and graphs
Use math in business transactions
Critical Thinking Competencies
Evaluate situations to provide customer service
Use observations to monitor and improve production
Demonstrate effective management of project resources
Identify factors involved in making decisions, based on job description
Use inductive and deductive reasoning to carry out company policies
Problem Solving Competencies
Identify problem by analyzing customer service complaints
Identify solutions to production quality problems
Implement a plan to reduce safety incidents
Evaluate results of revised hazardous materials safety procedures
Modify solution to improve error reduction plan
Implementation Elements
Establish overall YAL program Partner with employers Integrate workplace skills into
curriculum Recruit students and promote buy-in Monitor student progress Provide work-based learning
experience
Local Implementation
New HavenNew London
Danbury
Middletown
Vernon
EastConn
YAL Ongoing Program Development
Credit orientation skills continuum Employer contact collaborative
partnership Work exposure work experience Add-on activities integrated
curriculum Create student supports support
system
Indiana Department of EducationDivision of Adult Education
Dan Wann, Professional Development Consultant
Indiana Adult EducationWorkforce Education Project
1 – State Agency – IDOE
3 – Staff hired from outside ed.
15 – Workforce Districts
43 – Comprehensive programs
100 – Adult education providers funded
through IDOE
91 – Counties with adult education classes (out of 92)
A Proven Provider
English Works in Indiana has been selected as one of six projects nationally to be profiled as a model for High Impact Work-Based Learning Programs.
OVAE / DOE
An IDOE / DWD Partnership Project
A competency based model which is industry driven and results oriented.
Overall goals: Improve the basic skills of Hoosier
workers Build the capacity of adult education
providers to deliver customized, on-site workplace basic skills
Adult Education Works in IndianaWorkforce Education Project
Adult Education Works in IndianaWorkforce Education Project
98 classes held in 60 companies with 1,074 students594 workers (55%) advanced at least 1 grade levelAverage project cost was $9,500Average training investment per worker was $601141 educators were trained to provide workplace education52 unemployed/dislocated workers found jobs56 workers obtained GED34 workers entered post-secondary trainingMain industries served were manufacturing, agriculture, hospitality/tourism and transportation/logistics.
Workplace Education Outcomes
Workplace Education ROI
The information below focuses on the 232 dislocated workers served in 8 of the 60 total workplace projects.
Occupational/Employment Outcomes:~ Obtained Employment: 52
Estimated Dollars Saved or Earned:Students Finding Jobs $578,656*Increased Tax Revenue $115,731**
Total Dislocated Worker Savings $694,387
*Figure obtained by multiplying the number of students obtaining a job times the $5.35 hourly minimum wage times 40 hours/week times 52 weeks.
**Figure obtained by multiplying value of unemployed students finding jobs times 20%.
Workplace Education ROI
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, a worker age 21-64 with no diploma earns an average income of $24,256 per year; a high school graduate earns an average income of $28,445 per year. Assuming that there is an increased annual earning potential of $4,189 with a diploma, the estimated value of 56 GEDs attained to Indiana is $234,584.
The newest initiative . . .
Shared Themes in CT and IN
Planning within program context Developmental, step-at-a-time
process Needs of target population Marketing to employers and students Curriculum integration Ongoing professional development Persistent leadership