Programs Regear to Meet Workplace
and Workforce Literacy Needs
by Kay Taggart, Curriculum Specialist, El Paso Community College
I remember the salad days of workplace
literacy - the years of the National Workplace Literacy Grants, the Business
Council for Effective Literacy (BCEL), and a whole smorgasbord of state demonstration
projects. We were fat and we were happy. We had money to hire a six-pack of
staff for a one-company project, carry out painstaking task analyses, write,
pilot and revise extensive curricula, and even develop workplace-specific videotapes.
We worked hard. We trained instructors. We traveled to conferences across the
country and pontificated on effective models and compared detailed notes. That
was then. This is now.
"Workplace" literacy now
shares space, time and resources with "Workforce" literacy. And the
supply lines are thin. "Workplace" literacy programs refer to instruction
for folks who are employed. "Workforce" literacy refers to instruction
for folks who are trying to enter or reenter the labor market. The populations
are hugely different and the programs, while displaying similar veins, are quite
different.
"Workplace" literacy programs
still exist and are more important than ever before. However, time factors mean
that instructional programs must be put in place faster - without a great deal
of time for customizing. Since the funding base has changed, more companies
are footing their own bills for instruction. While some state and federal sources
of funding exists, dollars are tied to technical training and worker advancement,
often only paying for instructional time. As a result, the luxury of extensive
development time is gone. This puts more pressure on instructors to create as
they go.
Company management seems to be more
willing to take stronger roles in the implementation. Indeed, with the huge
numbers of plant closings, employers are taking a greater interest in providing
classes for employees before potential closings. Employees, feeling the pressure
of possible job loss, have greater incentive to participate.
"Workforce"
literacy has overshadowed "Workplace" literacy in many communities.
Often, the student population is huge, especially in areas that have experienced
NAFTA-related plant closings, as is the case in the El Paso area. Students must
attend classes many hours each day, as opposed to a few hours a week. The amount
of instructional material needed is vast, and must address literacy in the context
of both general workforce themes and industry-specific themes, such as "English
for the Plastics Industry." While commercial publishers have begun to fill
the materials gap in the general area, industry-specific courses still require
local development. Again, however, funding sources usually only pay for instructional
time and material purchases. Development is done on the fly by part-time instructors
who often don't get paid for preparation. Everyone seems to race against the
clock. "Workforce" literacy student populations are desperate and
on a deadline to get trained and get a job FAST.
Our experiences during the "salad
days" didn't prepare programs and staff for this new onslaught of need.
We weren't ready to develop instructional programs very quickly for large populations
with unique and diverse needs. Literacy programs are being called to the plate
to meet their biggest challenge in decades--with the fewest resources. Early
on, we made a critical mistake. We were not vocal enough in explaining to government
and business and industry exactly what we needed to create effective programs.
Funders seemed to assume that the infrastructure existed to meet the need. It
didn't.
So where do we go from here? We must
be realistic. We must be assertive in clearly explaining the educational needs
of a desperate population. We must delineate exactly what is required to create
effective programs, including full-time instructors, training and curriculum
materials development. We must be forthright in explaining what is possible
and what is not. The salad days are gone, and we can't and shouldn't expect
them to return. For our part, we must learn to react to need more quickly and
more efficiently.
Clearly, literacy programs have the
knowledge and capability to meet the challenge. But first we must be proactive
and bring expectations and reality closer together.
About the Author
Kay Taggart is a curriculum
specialist for El Paso Community College. She has worked in community, family,
workplace and workforce literacy for fourteen years. She holds a master's degree
in Curriculum and Instruction from New Mexico State University.
  
|
