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Workforce - Workplace

An Adult Educator's Place Is On The Board

by Georgia Brown, Adult Education Director, Region IX ESC

When you've been in adult education a number of years you see a lot of "catch" phrases and buzz words come and go. Often you laugh and say, "Haven't we done this before and called it something else?" But through all those phases and stages, we can say, "We have grown and we have learned." Probably the best-learned lesson is that to be truly successful, we must learn to play with everybody. Call it what you want - coordination, collaboration, teamwork -- it all boils down to integrating services in such a way that those individuals needing the services readily access them and attain success. These services reach beyond multiple literacy and adult education providers. They encompass all efforts - private and public - designed to prepare our of school youth and adults in Texas to succeed on the job, in the family and in society.

In 1995, Texas House Bill 1863 identified Local Workforce Development Boards as the key to local service delivery. Each Board is responsible for the planning and administration of the workforce services in its service delivery area. The Boards are charged with overseeing specific funding sources such as JTPA (soon to come under the Workforce Investment Act), TANF/Choices, Welfare to Work, and FSE & T (Food Stamp Employment and Training Program). In the future, these Boards - as the focal points for the entire Texas Workforce System - will receive other funding that relates to workforce services. But, more importantly to us as educators, the Boards have the opportunity to help coordinate and integrate other programs which support the workforce system. These programs are, of course, adult education and literacy.

As the Adult Education Director for Region IX ESC and a member of the North Texas Workforce Development Board, I have had the opportunity to be a part of the planning and implementation of programs for our area. I can truly say it is a pleasure to work on this Board, but sometimes it is the hardest "job" I have ever had. I serve on the Planning Committee and chair the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee. While we have some lively discussions in the Planning Committee meetings, we labor intensively in the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee meetings. This committee assists Board staff with designing Requests for Proposal packets and the evaluation instruments for the RFP's. We read and score the proposals and make funding recommendations to the Board. The Monitoring and Evaluation Committee is, as one Board member said, "The one who controls the money." I guess we do, but we also have the opportunity to make sure services are integrated.

I can't say integration has been easy. It's not. We all know collaboration is difficult. Integration is hard work. Not only does it require awareness of all programs, it demands all programs to work together to serve the customer, the student, the client, the participant. It requires all of us to think outside of our program boxes and focus on needs and addressing those needs. It demands learning and relearning on the part of all service providers.

However, I can say successful integration is sweet. When you begin to see staff work together at the Workforce Center without program labels and begin to look for ways to expand services, you smile. When program directors begin to seek innovative ways to jointly improve services, you rejoice.

We have done some of both lately. The Workforce Center of North Texas is developing into a true One-Stop as staff is cross-trained and readily serve all customers. The Board, upon recommendation of program mangers, is considering leasing a different space in the Galaxy Building so that all TWC employees and Workforce Center staff are "under one roof." The Region IX Adult Learning Center, located down the hall from the Workforce Center, is receiving more and more referrals. The United Way of Greater Wichita Falls in collaboration with the Wichita Adult Literacy Council and Region IX Adult Education received a national UPS/United Way of America Grant to fund a workplace literacy center adjacent to the Workforce Center. This center, The Skills To ... Literacy Center, provides assistance with job applications, literacy assessment, and tutoring. A child care area is housed within the Center and is available for its participants as well as the Adult Learning Center's students and Workforce Center's customers.

Yes, an adult educator's place is on the Board. If I had not had the opportunity to serve on our Board and work with all of its members, I do not believe we would have the services we now have. Just as "it takes a village to raise a child," it takes a diverse Workforce Board to put Texas to work.

About the Author

Georgia Brown is the Adult Education Director at Region IX ESC. She has served in this capacity for the last six years. Before being named Director of Adult Education Programs, she was the Director of Instructional Services at Region IX. Georgia has 19 years experience in adult education as a tutor, teacher, and supervisor. She and her husband, Alden, have two children -- Joel and Kasey.