work skills going for gold! career readiness preparation for adult learners contemporary/mcgraw-hill...

Work Skills

Going for GOLD! Career Readiness Preparation for

Adult Learners

Contemporary/McGraw-Hill

Month ####Month ####

What Are We Talking About?

• Identify the New Workforce: Why are we ill-prepared?

- Current dropout rates

- Adults beyond the reach of the K–12 system

- Causes and impacts of this situation

• Research calls for a shift in ABE with a focus on career readiness and contextualized learning

• Identify how career pathways provide a model

• Explore how the Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) provides a framework for skills that should be contextualized

• Model how contextualized instruction can be implemented to help learners develop applied ABE/ASE skills while building workplace competencies within a contextualized setting

Reality Check:Current and Future

Realities

Going for CRC Gold!

Current and Future Realities

Workforce Needs vs. Realities

• Workforce needs have changed and will continue to change on a global basis

• There are both worker shortages as well as skills gaps that must be addressed in the U.S. and internationally

• Over 61% of U.S. employers say it is difficult to find qualified workers to fill their vacancies

• The economic impacts are severe and a fundamental issue that must be addressed at several levels


85%

80%

Job Demands Are Shifting

Skilled Jobs

Unskilled Jobs

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010


Trends in U.S. Job Task Content

Key Shifts Underway

• Boomers are retiring, leaving manager gaps

• Service jobs now dominate (60% today up from 36% in 1960) and make up 85% of income

Source: The Conference Board: The Ill Prepared U.S. Workforce (2009)


1 Million High School Dropouts Each Year…

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28


Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007

The U.S. is the only highly developed democracy

where young adults are less educated than the previous generation.

less educated


What does this mean?

More than 18 million adults without a high school credential are in the

labor force today.


Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007

WORKER SUPPLY

WORKER SUPPLY == EMPLOYER

DEMANDEMPLOYER

DEMAND

Alabama College Graduation Rates

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (2007)Source: National Center for Education Statistics (2007)


State-Specific Slide


Overall Preparation of New Workforce Entrants

Source: The Conference Board, 2009


High Need “Soft-Skill” Gaps



The Achievement Gap Is Economically Crippling• Only 15% low

income students are proficient on NAEP Reading, Math only 17%, Writing only 15%

High Need “Hard-Skill” Gaps



21st Century Skills

Source: Partnership for 21st Century Skills


• Critical Thinking (Problem Solving)

• Communication

• Collaboration

• Creativity

The Impact? Economic

• Alabama spends over $24M each year to provide community college remediation for recent high school graduates who did not acquire the basic skills necessary to succeed in college or at work.

• Remedial classes cost community colleges an estimated $2 billion a year

• Developmental education is fastest growing sector in education market.


Source: Alliance for Excellent Education



The Impact? Unemployment


• Job seekers currently outnumber jobs by 6:1

• 79% of U.S. large companies identify significant skill gaps vs. their strategies

• Closing the high school dropout rate worth additional $350 billion per year

• Worth another $540 billion with 2-years of college training


The Impact? Earnings


The Impact? Unemployment & Earnings


Source: Business Round Table, Springboard Project, 2009Source: Business Round Table, Springboard Project, 2009

The Impact? Health




The Impact? Alabama• More than 25,100 students did not graduate from

Alabama’s high schools in 2009; the lost lifetime earnings in Alabama for that class of dropouts alone totals more than $6.5B.

• Alabama would save more than $245M in health care costs over the course of the lifetimes of each class of dropouts had they earned their diplomas.





The Impact? Alabama• If all of Alabama’s high school graduates and GED

recipients were “college-ready,” the state would save $53M a year in community college remediation costs and lost earnings.

• Alabama’s economy would see a combination of savings and revenue of about $125M in reduced crime spending and increased earnings each year if the male high school graduation rate increased by just 5 percent.





Jobs of the Future

Of the 30,000,000 new and replacement jobs between now and 2018…

63%

63% will require some college

45% will require a Bachelor’s Degree or higher

45%


Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2009Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2009


Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2009

88 of 150 Million Adults in Labor Force with at Least One Educational Barrier

88 of 150 Million Adults in Labor Force with at Least One Educational Barrier


18,229,34018,229,340 51,365,34051,365,340

5,177,1275,177,127

8,226,2148,226,2145,005,9435,005,943

No High SchoolDiploma

No High SchoolDiploma

High School DiplomaNo CollegeHigh School DiplomaNo College

Speak English“Less Than Very Well”

Speak English“Less Than Very Well” Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Job Obsolescence

• Compared to 2006, by 2016 there will be:– 131,000 fewer store clerks– 118,000 fewer cashiers– 114,000 fewer handpackers

• Many jobs that remain will require newer skills that require an increased knowledge and skill base


Source: United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009Source: United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009

The Need

• More than 93 million adults score at the lower levels of national assessments of functional literacy skills and are unprepared to enroll in postsecondary education or job training.

• While school reform hopes to curb our nation’s workforce problem, an estimated 65% of our nation’s 2020 workforce is already beyond the reach of our educational system.


The Problem

Current adult basic education can’t meet current needs because of

• Inadequate funding

• Levels of service

• Program focus


Problem: Inadequate Funding

• In 2008, total funding for Adult Education and Literacy programs in the U.S. equaled $2.1 billion, with only $540 million of that coming from the federal government.


Source: OAVE

Workforce Investment Act• Authorized in 1998• Reformed federal employment, adult education, and

vocational rehabilitation programs to create an integrated “one-stop” system of workforce investment and education activities for adults and youth

• Five titles– Title I: Adult, Dislocated Workers, Youth– Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act– Title III: Workforce Investment-related activities– Title IV: Vocational Rehabilitation– Title V: Incentive grants, unified plans, etc.


Source: www.clasp.org

WIA Title I: Adult, Dislocated Workers, Youth

• Grants to states and local areas for employment and training services

• State and local workforce investment boards—responsible for planning, partnerships, and oversight

• One-stop career centers—provide access to services provided by WIA and partner programs



WIA Title II: Adult Education & Family Literacy Act

• Grants provided to states to fund local programs providing adult education and literacy services, including workplace literacy services, family literacy services, English literacy, and GED prep

• For adults and out-of-school youth age 16 & older• Multiple goals for the program, including gaining

knowledge and skills necessary for self-sufficiency



Students’ goals are economic, postsecondary credentials key for reaching them

• WA state survey—86% of adult ed students have employment goals.

• For low-skilled adults, the largest economic payoffs are in postsecondary. One year of college = 10% increase in earnings (as true for GED grads as for HS grads)– Getting a GED alone does increase earnings, but by less than a

high school diploma. (Only pays off significantly for dropouts with lowest skills and for immigrants.)

– Vocational certificates and degrees pay off more than academic ones at the Associate level and below.

• Up until now, assumption by programs and by adult ed. students has been that GED is the best route to good jobs and postsecondary education.



Problem: Limited Levels of Service

• More than 18 million adults lack a high school diploma or credential and 90 million adults scored at the lowest levels on National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL).

• Yet, the federal program serves only 3 million adults a year.



For lower skilled adults, the basic skills disconnect looms largest

• Adult ed is focused on the GED, but a majority of students don’t earn one, and few GED grads ever complete postsecondary credentials:– Most adult ed students stay for 30 to 80 hours of

instruction (100-150 = 1 grade level)– Only 12% complete >1 year of college in first decade

after earning GED. 3% earn at least AA degree.– Bottom line: Over several decades, of 100 adult ed.

students, about 8 go on to postsecondary and 2 get a BA. Very few ELLs transition.

The Goal? 20 Million by 2020


Source: Reach Higher, America

The Goal? Substantial Increase in Outcomes


Source: Reach Higher, America

The Outcomes? Economic

• A 1% increase in graduation rate for associate and bachelor degrees would produce a cumulative increase in national income of $291 billion by the year 2030

• Alabama households would have nearly $1.6B more in additional collective wealth if all heads of households had graduated from high school.





• Research shows that students who put a career path in place during their high school years are 47% more likely to complete postsecondary education

• Pathways include developing career goals combined with the education needed to attain those goals

How will we achieve this?Career Pathways—A Sensible Solution


What are Career Pathways?

• Linked education and training services that– – “enable students, often while they are working, to advance over

time to successively higher levels of education and employment in a given industry or occupational sector. Each step on a career pathway is designed explicitly to prepare students to progress to the next level of employment and education.”

~ Oregon Career Pathways initiative

• Greater alignment: Ideally career pathways are not a separate program but a framework for weaving together adult education, training, and college programs that are currently siloed and connecting those services to employers’ workforce needs.



Key Changes: Adult Education

for Work

Going for CRC Gold!

Educators and policy makers have long believed that our Adult Education system for teaching basic skills should serve many goals, including:

• personal enrichment• language and life skills• increased civic participation• improved parental responsibilities

Adult Education for Work

Adult Education Today

Adult Education Tomorrow

“…a Career Pathways system that moves low-skilled adults through a continua of workforce oriented AE programs on to postsecondary (degree and non-degree certificate) programs that lead to family sustaining employment and career-advancement.”


Source: National Center on Education and the Economy, 2009

Greater Alignment between Titles I and II is on the Horizon

• Administration’s Workforce Investment Act reauthorization recommendations emphasize closer alignment – Maintain focus on educational goals in adult ed, yet

greater focus on moving all students along a trajectory ending with postsecondary and career success

– Establish consistent performance measures and definitions

• Career pathways movement• American Graduation Initiative



American Graduation Initiative

• Introduced by President Obama at Macomb Community College (Detroit, MI), July 14, 2009

• Goal: An additional 5 million community college graduates by 2020 (degrees and certificates)

• Reflects emerging themes of Administration and Congress:– Focus on community colleges– Emphasis on persistence and completion– Integration of education and workforce needs through

career pathways including adult education– Evidence-based innovation



The Specifics of Career Pathways

• Learners receive extensive and ongoing career guidance in how to navigate the education and labor systems

• Curricula is contextualized to include application of job-related skills

• Instructional methods are designed to teach work readiness skills and skills are taught within vocational contexts



Source: National Center on Education and the Economy,

2009

What is the purpose of a career pathway?

• Transitions between levels clearly articulated

• ABE/ASE teaches skills required to enter postsecondary certification or degree programs without need for remediation

• GED prep offered but end goal is readiness for career or postsecondary without remediation


Benefit of a Career Pathway

Length of stay shortened because of

• Accelerated advancement

• High-intensity programming

• Dual enrollment

• Integrated curricula

• Bridge courses

Key Changes: Adult Education for Work

What are career pathway bridge programs?• Career pathway bridge programs typically cover “soft skills,”

pre-college academic skills, and specific job skills, ideally one that is part of a career pathway.

• Career pathway bridges tailor and contextualize the adult ed/ELL content to general workplace needs and to the knowledge and skills needed in a specific occupation.– e.g., bridge programs in manufacturing cover blueprint reading,

statistical process control. Those in health care cover intro to human biology, vocabulary and math for health careers.

• Partners in bridge programs can be employers, unions, community-based organizations, community colleges, and others.



Types of Partnerships• Partnerships with One-Stop Center to provide labor market

information and career information to adult education providers.

• Partner with One-Stop to provide adult education services at One-Stop

• Referral arrangement to One-Stop and from One-Stop to adult ed providers

• Contextualizing basic skills/literacy content to occupations/sectors

• Co-enrolling individuals in Title I and II• Integrated basic skills/literacy and training.



Quality Elements of a Career Pathway System

1. Program Design

2. Curriculum and Instruction

3. Assessment and Credentialing

4. High-Quality Teaching

5. Support and Follow-up Services

6. Connections to Business Community

7. Monitoring and Accountability Systems


CustomerStudent is the primary customer

Students and employers are the customers

Goal of curricula

Life skills are the primary goal

Work readiness skills and preparation for post secondary education are the primary goals

Content focus

Applying literacy, numeracy, and English language learning to everyday life tasks

Literacy and numeracy and English language learning as well as thinking and reasoning skills such as problem solving, teamwork, and following instructions


The “New Basics” of Adult Education

Source: National Center on Education and the Economy, 2009Source: National Center on Education and the Economy, 2009

CurrentCurrent FutureFuture

How work readiness is taught

Might include some employment-related tasks like filling out a job application

Teaches basic skills in a work context and stresses good work habits such as punctuality, diligence, communication, and appropriate dress and behavior

Program focus

Driven by students’ personal goals, needs, and interests

Driven by students’ employment goals, the skill needs of family-sustaining jobs and the entry requirements for postsecondary education and training

End goal

Most Adult Education students never achieve a GED, much less a postsecondary education that is the key to success in today’s economy.

Most students achieve a high level of basic and workforce readiness skills and are prepared to enter postsecondary education and training and family-sustaining jobs.

“New Basics” for Adult Education for Work

Academic Skills at the Heart of Career Pathway SuccessBeing “career-ready” includes demonstrating:• Personal competencies• Academic competencies• Workplace “soft” skills• Career focus

From unemployment/underemploymentFrom unemployment/underemployment

To employment in high-demand fieldTo employment in high-demand field

“New Basics” for Adult Education for Work

Source: Adult Career Pathways: Providing a Second Chance in Public Education

Establishing a Standard:Career Readiness

and the CRC – A Model Framework

Going for CRC Gold!

Jobs Come, Jobs Go

• 700,000 different certificates are awarded each year, but many are not transportable, transferrable, and stackable—that is, able to be combined with others.

• Between the ages of 18 and 42, today’s worker can expect to hold an average of 11 different jobs.

Source: United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006. Source: United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006.

Career Readiness Preparation and the CRC

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2009Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2009

The Need for a Common Language

• Employers need to know their workers’ levels of trainability for rapidly emerging technologies and careers of today.

• Career Readiness Certificates are designed to be a portable skills credential, based on a common language, that can be easily understood by employers and educators.


Career Readiness Certification• ACT WorkKeys® is a job skills assessment • Foundational skills assessments measure cognitive

abilities for 18,000 jobs– Communication—Business Writing, Listening,

Reading for Information, Writing– Problem Solving—Applied Technology, Applied

Mathematics, Locating Information, Observation– Interpersonal—Teamwork

• Core battery comprised of 3 tests: Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, Locating Information

• Core battery scores confirm competency levels for Career Readiness Certificates (CRCs)


Source: ACTSource: ACT

South Carolina 113,688

Georgia 100,542

Michigan 74,982

Indiana 66,023

Florida 49,500

North Carolina 40,439

Ohio 37,000

Oklahoma 35,920

Alabama 24,265

Virginia 24,104

Top 10 Issuing States


Source: National Career Readiness Certificate ConsortiumSource: National Career Readiness Certificate Consortium

Career Readiness Certificate Consortium

CRCs deployed statewide

CRC deployment in progress

Interested in deploying CRC


Source: National Career Readiness Certificate ConsortiumSource: National Career Readiness Certificate Consortium

Linking Skills to Occupations



Applied Mathematics

Locating Information

Reading forInformation

Skill Profile: Nursing Aides

Skill Profiles/Gap Analysis• Pre-assessment identifies learner skill levels.• Career interest profile assessment identifies potential

careers. Competency levels for each occupation help identify target skill attainment levels.

• Skill gaps help identifywhere instructionshould begin.

3

2

4

3 3

23

43

Skill Gaps

Learner Skill Levels

OccupationalSkill Levels


Score at least Level 6 in all core areas. Foundational skills for 99% of jobs in the ACT database



CRC Levels• Used by employers for skills

screening, hiring and promotion, and targeting employee training and development

• Credential levels indicate percent of jobs qualified for in the ACT occupational database

• Provides a common measure for employers to determine workers’ skill levels based on standardized assessments

• Skills outlined on back of CRC



Bronze

Gold

Silver

Platinum


Clear Pathways,

Benchmarks, and Goals

Source: NAM-Endorsed Skills Certification System. The

Manufacturing Institute.

Source: NAM-Endorsed Skills Certification System. The

Manufacturing Institute.


So, do I teach to the test?

• Core CRC skills align to ABE skills

• Key difference is teaching the skills while applying the skills to workplace situations—

TEACH TO THE TASK!

Teaching to the task promotes relevance and provides the ability

to combine ABE/core competencies with technical training


Teaching to the Task:Strategies for

Contextualized Instruction

Going for CRC Gold!

Reading for Information—Goals

• To measure the skills people use when they read and use written text in order to do a job.

• Written texts include memos, direction, signs, notices, bulletins, policies, and regulations.

• Sometimes these written communications are not necessarily well-written or targeted to the appropriate audience.

Strategies for Contextualized Instruction

Reading for Information TABE


Reading for

Information SkillsTABE Skills

Identify main idea and details

Choose the correct meaning of everyday and workplace words

Apply technical terms & jargon

Understand & apply instructions

Identify implied details

Identify & explain principles of workplace policies

Words in Context—Same & opposite meaning, correct word

Recall Information—Details, sequence, stated concepts

Construct Meaning—Main idea, summary, conclusion

Evaluate/Extend Meaning—Apply elements, generalization, author intention

Contextualized Reading InstructionIf you are required to enter a confined space, your supervisor is required to instruct you as to:

– What kinds of hazards you may run into and why those hazards are dangerous.

– The necessary precautions to take for each type of hazard.– The use of any protective and/or emergency equipment and

instruments required.Although construction people are not required to follow the permit-required confined space entry program that those working in general industry are, many of the requirements of the construction regulations fit nicely into the program. And, it is a way to maximize your safety. Your participation in the development and implementation of a permit-required confined space entry program is encouraged.

Source: Keller’s Official OSHA Construction HandbookSource: Keller’s Official OSHA Construction Handbook


Contextualized Vocabulary InstructionTo: All medical assistantsRe: New software

In an effort to quickly transfer patient records into the new software system, please review the following important features:

• How to complete personal information for every patient• How diagnoses are added to a patient’s chart via the software• What medications the patient is taking and how these are correlated,

or matched, to the diagnoses by the software• How to recognize software alerts warning of actual or potential

danger from medications that should not be combined• How to recognize software alerts warning that a drug is not

recommended due to a condition that makes the medication unsuitable or dangerous for a particular patient


How do I provide this for my students?

Provide real workplace documents:

• E-mails

• HR forms and documents, such as policies and procedures

• Guidelines documents

• Career OneStop/Bureau of Labor Statistics



From: Rosin, Mitch Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 To: All EmployeesSubject: Dress Code Policy

With the warmer weather approaching it’s a good time to remind employees about our dress code. All employees and contractors should dress appropriately for a professional work environment, whether they choose to wear traditional business (i.e. suit & tie) or business casual attire (Dockers and golf shirt). Full compliance is expected

As a reminder, appropriate dress includes - Slacks or khaki-style pants - Collared or dress shirts - Sport jackets or blazers - Casual Skirts (knee length) - Dress Shoes - Jeans (permitted on Fridays)

From: Rosin, Mitch Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 To: All EmployeesSubject: Dress Code Policy

With the warmer weather approaching it’s a good time to remind employees about our dress code. All employees and contractors should dress appropriately for a professional work environment, whether they choose to wear traditional business (i.e. suit & tie) or business casual attire (Dockers and golf shirt). Full compliance is expected

As a reminder, appropriate dress includes - Slacks or khaki-style pants - Collared or dress shirts - Sport jackets or blazers - Casual Skirts (knee length) - Dress Shoes - Jeans (permitted on Fridays)

Locating Information—Goals

• To measure the skills people use when they work with workplace graphics.

• Workers must find information and insert information into graphics, as well as compare, analyze, and summarize information found in related graphics.

• Workplace graphics include charts, graphs, tables, forms, flowcharts, diagrams, floor plans, maps, and instrument gauges.


Locating Information TABE


Locating Information Skills TABE Skills

Find information in graphics

Understand how graphics relate to each other

Identify and compare trends

Summarize information from graphics

Draw conclusions from graphics

Use graphics information to make decisions

Interpret Graphic Information

• Signs

• Maps

• Dictionary usage

• Reference Sources

• Graphics

• Forms

• Consumer Materials

Contextualized Summarization of Workplace Graphics

• Find information in graphics

• Summarize the information from straightforward graphics.



Provide real workplace graphics:

• Break rooms and common areas

• Manuals for office equipment

• Workplace forms

• Career exploration sites


Menu of career information(careeronestop.org)

Menu of career information(careeronestop.org)

Applied Mathematics—Goals

• Measure the skills people use when they apply mathematical reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving techniques to work-related problems.

• Applied mathematics skills needed include basic and advanced computation, using percentages, converting and calculating measurements, and finding the best deal.


Applied Mathematics TABE


Applied Mathematics Skills TABE Skills

Convert simple money and time units

Calculate averages, ratios, proportions, and rates

Put information in the right order before calculating

Calculate using mixed units

Find area & volume of shapes

Find the best deal

Mathematics Computation

Number and Number Operations

Computation in Context—whole numbers, decimals, fractions, percents

Measurement—Calendar, appropriate unit, area, rate, convert measurement units

Problem Solving / Reasoning

Contextualized Computation


• Based on the diagram, what length will you need to cut the wood for Rail A if this side will contain 4 balusters?

Contextualized MeasurementAs a nursing attendant at a nursing home, you must make certain that patients take their medication. One of your patients needs medication every 4 hours. You gave the patient his last does at 10:30 AM. At what time should you give him the next dose?

A. 2:00 AMB. 2:30 AMC. 10:34 AMD. 1:30 PME. 2:30 PM



Use existing problems and change the subject:– Susan buys $47.63 worth of groceries and hands

the cashier $60. How much change should Susan get back?

– You are a cashier at a specialty food store. A customer’s total comes to $47.63, and she hands you $60. How much change should she get back?



Consider common mathematics concepts that span different careers/clusters —timesheets, budgets, taxes, etc.



Workplace Skills Series

Contemporary’s Workplace Skills• Develops core contextualized skills for:

– Applied Mathematics: Mathematical reasoning and critical thinking skills through realistic workplace scenarios

– Reading for Information: Effective reading comprehension and synthesis skills through documents such as letters, e-mails, directions, regulations, and policies

– Locating Information: Retrieve and use information communicated through graphic sources (flow charts, diagrams, forms, and tables)

• Provides consistent problem-solving approach in testing and workplace scenarios


• Instruction and skill practice covering CRC Levels 37 in each book

• Builds core CRC competencies from lowest to highest level

• Practice and assessment of all skills learners encounter on CRC tests


Contextualized Practice

• Instruction in TABE aligned basic skills

• Builds core competencies from lowest to highest level


Basic Skills Instruction

• Model skill application and test-taking strategies through the Plan for Successful Solving

• Learners are better prepared for test-taking situations

• Consistent modeling builds learner confidence for problem solving in workplace and test-taking situations


Models Skill Application

Model Skill Application

Consistent problem-solving approach modeled for every skill in all three titles.


• Provide practice applying skill in realistic workplace scenarios

• Robust content and problem-solving skill development

• Real-world scenarios link skills with actual jobs

• Applied scenarios increase learner motivation


Contextualized Practice

Comprehensive Career & Industry Coverage

• Contextualized problems for over 800 careers across the16 DOL Career Clusters

• Provides real-world problem-solving practice across a variety of careers, including green sectors

• Relevant problem-solving practice establishes a purpose for learning, regardless of career goals



Workplace Skills Series

work skills going for gold! career readiness preparation for adult learners contemporary/mcgraw-hill...

Documents

future realities slide

future realities source

educated current

unemployment current

health current

levels current

contextualized setting

century skills current