IMPLEMENTING THE EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS FRAMEWORK

IN THE ADULT BASIC EDUCATION CLASSROOM

LINCS WEBINAR

December 3, 2014, 3–4:15 pm EST

The work reported herein by RTI International was supported by the U.S. Department of Education, award number EDVAE10O0102

Webinar Overview

• Welcome and Introductions

• Employability Skills Framework Demonstration

• Connections to the College and Career Readiness Standards

• Implementation Strategies and Resources

Presenters

• Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education

• Meredith Liben, StandardsWork Literacy Lead

• Kaye Forgione, StandardsWork Mathematics Coach

• Bob Witchger, North Carolina Community College System

• Frank Scuiletti, North Carolina Community College System

Employability Skills Framework

Website Demonstration

What is the Employability Skills Framework Website?

• One-stop resource for information on employability skills for instructors, administrators, employers, students, and more

– Purpose: support the instruction and assessment of employability skills

– Definition: general skills that are necessary for success in the labor market at all employment levels and in all sectors

Key Site Content

• Interactive skills framework

• Crosswalk with academic and technical skills

• Criteria and tool for selecting an assessment

• Innovative examples of employability skills instruction

• Audience-based landing pages

http://cte.ed.gov/employabilityskills

Coming Soon!

Connections to the ABE CCR Standards

Three Components of College and Career Readiness

Source: What Is "Career Ready"? Association for Career Technical Education, 2010

Crosswalk with Academic and Technical Skills

College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education

http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/CCRStandardsAdultEd.pdf

How are Employability Skills Represented by the CCR Literacy Standards?

Meredith Liben StandardsWork Literacy Lead

Why College and Career Readiness Literacy Standards for Adults?

“Students entering the workforce are discovering that they need critical knowledge and skills that are used on a regular basis. They recognize that pursuing a career pathway that pays enough to support a family and provides genuine potential for advancement hinges on being able to perform the complex tasks identified by [the CCSS] as critical for postsecondary success. Leading economists who have examined labor market projections note that key college and career ready knowledge and skills are closely linked to being able to get the training necessary to earn a living wage in high-growth industries (Carnevale and Desrochers 2002, 2003). It is crucial, then, that adult education programs provide students the opportunity to acquire these skills to pursue their long-term career aspirations and goals.”

(From page 2 of the CCR for Adult Ed)

Surveys Consistently Reveal the Same Finding

• Employers endorse several educational practices as potentially helpful in preparing college students for workplace success (Hart Research Assoc., 2013)

• These include practices that require students to

– conduct research and use evidence-based analysis;

– gain in-depth knowledge in the major and analytic, problem solving, and communication skills; and

– apply their learning in real-world settings.

Research Supports the Importance of Key Literacy Skills That Demonstrate Work Readiness

“The vast majority (89 percent) of [high school] teachers surveyed by ACT reported that their students are either "well" or "very well" prepared for college-level work in their subject area after leaving their courses. In contrast, only around one-fourth (26%) of college instructors reported that their incoming students are either "well" or "very well" prepared for first-year credit-bearing courses in their subject area. These percentages are virtually unchanged from those in ACT's 2009 curriculum survey” [and all the years ACT has been conducting this survey].

(2012 ACT National Curriculum Survey)

How Do the CCR Standards for Literacy Reflect Employability Skills?

• The CCR literacy standards are aligned with the knowledge and literacy skills required for workplace (and higher ed) success. The central emphasis is on

– Reading informational text and text of a complexity that reflects the workplace and higher ed (Text Complexity)

– Gathering, evaluating, and presenting evidence (Evidence)

– Reading to gain knowledge and learn (Building Knowledge)

How Does the Employability Skills Framework Align with the CCR Standards for Literacy?

• Communication skills enable employees to successfully perform work tasks by communicating effectively with others in multiple formats. They include:

– Communicates verbally

– Listens actively

– Comprehends written material

– Conveys information in writing

– Observes carefully

Verbs from the CCR

• CCR Reading Anchor 7:

– Integrate

– Evaluate

• CCR Writing Anchors 7, 8, 9:

– Gather (sources),

– Conduct (research),

– Evaluate,

– Assess,

– Synthesize,

– Answer (the research question)

Information use skills

Enable employees to successfully perform work. Included:

• Locates information

• Organizes information

• Uses information

• Analyzes information

• Communicates information

How Do the CCR Standards for Literacy Reflect Applied Academic Skills?

How Does the CCR’s Emphasis on Text Complexity Reflect Employability Skills?

From the Framework

• Thinks critically

• Thinks creatively

• Makes sound decisions

• Solves problems

• Reasons

• Plans and organizes

• Uses reading skills

How Does the CCR’s Emphasis on Evidence Reflect Employability Skills?

From the Framework

• Reasons

• Makes sound decisions

• Observes carefully

How Does the CCR’s Emphasis on Building Knowledge Reflect Employability Skills?

From the Framework

Systems thinking skills enable employees to successfully perform work tasks by understanding relationships among the components of a system. They include:

• Understands and uses systems

• Monitors systems

• Improves systems

Technology use skills enable employees to successfully perform work tasks by applying information technology appropriately and effectively.

CCR

• S/L 1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

• S/L 6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks

Employability Framework

• Communicates verbally

• Listens actively

• Respects individual differences

• Interpersonal skills include the ability to collaborate as a member of a team or work independently, as appropriate; communicate effectively; maintain a positive attitude; and contribute to the overarching goals of the workplace.

• Communicating effectively with others in multiple formats

How Do the CCR’s Speaking and Listening Standards Reflect Employability Skills?

How Do the CCR’s Language Standards Reflect Employability Skills?

CCR

• Language Anchor 3: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

• Language Anchor 6: Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college- and career-readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge

Employability Framework

Communicating effectively with others in multiple formats (speaking, writing, listening);

• Thinks critically

• Thinks creatively

• Adapts and shows flexibility

• Works independently

• Demonstrates a willingness to learn

How Can Employability Skills Be Integrated into Instruction Based on the CCR Standards for Mathematics?

Kaye Forgione StandardsWork Mathematics Coach

Why Employability Skills?

“Increasingly, the computer will do the computation….[but] thinking about the problem, developing the problem, understanding the problem, looking at it from all sides, deciding what important information is relevant to the problem…is the harder part… You can’t do that without an understanding of the computation.”

– Manufacturing and distribution executive (Achieve, 2004)

Research Supports the Importance of Employability Skills

• Research by Achieve, Inc. provides evidence of what employers require of employees

– Input from employers, especially front-line managers

– Collections of workplace tasks

• Research shows convergence around the core knowledge and skills that both employers and post-secondary institutions need

• Mathematics at Work brochures provide examples of how mathematics is used in a variety of workplace settings

How do the CCR Standards for Mathematics Reflect Employability Skills?

• The CCR standards are aligned with the mathematics knowledge and skills required for workplace success

– Procedural skills and fluencies

– Conceptual understanding

– Application

– Standards for Mathematical Practice

How Does the Employability Skills Framework Align with the CCR Standards for Mathematics?

• Applied Knowledge

– Applied Academic Skills

– Critical Thinking Skills

• Effective Relationships

– Interpersonal Skills

– Personal Qualities

• Workplace Skills

– Resource Management

– Information Use

– Communication Skills

– Systems Thinking

– Technology Use

How Do the CCR Standards for Mathematics Reflect Applied Academic Skills?

• In the CCR mathematics content standards

– Organized by level (A = Beginning ABE, B = ABE I, C = ABE II, D = ABE III, and E = ASE I and II)

– Organized within level by content domain (Number, Algebra, Geometry, Statistics & Probability)

• In the Standards for Mathematical Practice that apply to ALL levels and content domains

Examples of How Applied Academic Skills Are Reflected in the CCR Math Standards

• Level C (ABE II): 5.NF.6 Solve real world problems involving multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem

• Level C (ABE II): 4.MD.3 Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and mathematical problems

How Do the Standards for Mathematical Practice Reflect Employability Skills?

• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them

• Reason abstractly and quantitatively

• Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

• Model with mathematics

• Use appropriate tools strategically

• Attend to precision

• Look for and make use of structure

• Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

How Do the Standards for Mathematical Practice Reflect Employability Skills?

• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them (Applied Academic Skills/Critical Thinking Skills/Personal Qualities)

• Reason abstractly and quantitatively

• Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

• Model with mathematics

• Use appropriate tools strategically

• Attend to precision

• Look for and make use of structure

• Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

Select one of the practices for yourself and try to identify how it reflects the Employability Skills Framework

How Can Employability Skills Be Assessed?

• CCR standards are intended to guide curriculum development, instruction, and professional development

• Educational Functioning Level (EFL) descriptors guide state assessment for National Reporting System (NRS) accountability efforts

• EFL descriptors are now being revised to reflect the CCR standards and the Employability Skills Framework. Stay tuned!!

North Carolina’s Employability Skills Toolkit

Implementation Strategies and Resources

You’re Fired! No, Really.

NC-NET is…

• The North Carolina Network for Excellence in Teaching, http://www.nc-net.info

• A collaborative, statewide professional development system committed to sharing best practices, leveraging resources, and avoiding duplication

• Perkins-funded

• Celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year!

What are Employability Skills?

Skills desired by employers (in addition to technical skills)

• Interpersonal Skills and Teamwork

• Communication

• Integrity and Professionalism

• Problem Solving and Decision Making

• Initiative and Dependability

• Information Processing

• Adaptability and Lifelong Learning

• Entrepreneurship

http://prezi.com/ur8tlfkdxwaq/employability-skills-assignment/

Advanced Manufacturing Competency Model

Competency Model Clearinghouse

USDOL ETA

Why Do Employability Skills Matter?

Are we data-informed?

Survey Says…

From a State Perspective

• Over 1,000 employers were surveyed by the North Carolina Association of Workforce Development Boards; the resulting report, Closing the Gap: 2012 Skills Survey of North Carolina Employers, revealed:

– “The lack of basic communication skills has been a large obstacle.”

– “Employees who have an understanding of problem solving, team work, and continuous learning are very valuable.”

– “Attitude, enthusiasm, and appropriate attire are the key basics. Experience and education is next.”

Nationally

“What makes a new graduate stand out from equally qualified competitors . . . is the evidence of the ‘soft skills’ needed in the workplace. Employers prize skills such as communication skills, the ability to work in a team, and problem-solving skills.”

(Job Outlook 2013 report, National Association of Colleges and Employers)

Internationally

• For the report 2012 Talent Shortage Survey, Manpower Group surveyed more than 38,000 employers in 41 countries

• Eighteen percent noted that “soft” skills are where job candidates most often fall short

– Interpersonal skills

– Enthusiasm/motivation

– Collaboration/teamwork

– Professionalism

– Flexibility/adaptability

– Ability to deal with ambiguity/complexity

– Attention to detail

– Problem solving and decision making

U.S. Department of Education

NC-NET Responded by Creating…

http://www.nc-net.info/employability.php

Toolkit Purpose

• Instead of waiting for change at the system level, the resources enable instructors to integrate employability skills practice into their courses

• Designed to help instructors bridge the gap

between academic and technical skill sets and employability skills

Toolkit Contents

• Eight modules, each containing:

– Introduction to one of the 8 topics identified by the Super CIP

– Instructor presentation materials (PowerPoint and notes)

– Classroom lessons with instructor notes and student materials

– Discussion questions

– Hands-on activities

– Rubrics for assessment (and student self-assessment)

– Suggestions for adaptation in various technical fields

– Additional resources

Employability Skills Identified by the NCCCS Super CIP

1. Interpersonal Skills and Teamwork

2. Communication

3. Integrity and Professionalism

4. Problem Solving and Decision Making

5. Initiative and Dependability

6. Information Processing

7. Adaptability and Lifelong Learning

8. Entrepreneurship

Initiative and Dependability

http://www.nc-net.info/employability.php

Download the whole toolkit as a .pdf (511 pages) Download individual modules as .pdfs or editable Word documents Download editable presentations for each module

Contact Information

• Dr. Robert Witchger NCCCS Director, Career & Technical Education witchgerb@nccommunitycolleges.edu

• Frank Scuiletti NCCCS Program Coordinator, Engineering & Technology scuilettif@nccommunitycolleges.edu

• Hope Cotner Vice President, U.S. Projects hcotner@cord.org

Next Steps

• Continue the discussion on LINCS and share employability skills examples and resources

• Visit the Employability Skills Framework! http://cte.ed.gov/employabilityskills

• Review the CCR Standards http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/CCRStandardsAdultEd.pdf

• Use the NC-Net Toolkit http://www.nc-net.info/employability.php

Webinar Evaluation

Please tell us what you think about this webinar!

Evaluation

• Title*: Implementing the Employability Skills Framework in the ABE Classroom

• Name of Presenter*: Laura Foster

• Name of Presenter: Kaye Forgione, Meredith Liben, Frank Scuiletti, Robert Witchger

• Date*: 12/03/2014

Thank You! Questions? Email: lrasmussen@rti.org