Workforce - Workplace Literacy

Which Came First, the Chicken or Workforce Literacy?

Which came first, the chicken or workforce literacy?

That is the question. Beginning with the sale of the first chicken from a pen located behind his Pittsburg, Texas, farm supply store, Mr. Lonnie “Bo” Pilgrim started his 59 year-old multi-million dollar business now called Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation. This extensive poultry business today employs more than 40,000 Partners (employees) located in 71 different cities, 17 different states, two countries and one U.S. Territory. Partners perform their duties in many different work environments-from the farm to the plant to the delivery of the finished product. And, yes, as in all major corporations, the poultry business requires education at all levels to remain successful.

With this investment in America, Mexico and particularly the state of Texas, Pilgrim’s Pride is well aware of the benefits of educating its workforce. Increased productivity is the name of the game. So in 1994, when Northeast Texas Community College (NTCC) received a three-year workplace literacy grant from the Department of Education, Washington, D.C., Pilgrim’s Pride was honored to partner with its local community college in rural east Texas, NTCC, to improve the educational skills of its workforce.

Beginning with an advisory committee consisting of representatives from workplace supervisors and community college curriculum developers, the collaboration was born. An extensive task analysis was then put into action to determine what type classes would most benefit the partners and the company.

At the nearby Mt. Pleasant plant site, the majority of employees is Hispanic. Therefore, foundation skills in English as a Second Language classes were developed around various educational needs and work shift schedules. Supervisors and curriculum developers then worked together to fine-tune instruction in order to focus on skills and knowledge Partners needed to keep or advance on their jobs, meet demands for productivity, and ensure safety. Word lists containing many functional workplace words and terms that employees would use on the job every day were a first attempt to tailor-make classes with a functional context. As always, safety was an issue, so terms coming from safety manuals were also included. Using this customized word list as a start, the first workplace education classes were set up at the Mt. Pleasant job site of Pilgrim’s Pride.

Pilgrim’s Pride foremen and supervisors recruited Partners, assisted with classroom space, and set up schedules around busy shift changes. Classes consisted of basic English as a Second Language, Citizenship, Math and GED in English and Spanish. Partners attended classes wearing rubber boots and NTCC Adult Education teachers, complete with Pilgrim’s Pride pass badges, made their way to class through check points to a very nontraditional classroom setting.

As in all ESL classes, multilevel instruction was a challenge. Many Partners were uncomfortable using English, while others were functioning at a much higher level. However, it was discovered that students learned most effectively from participatory activities, peer tutoring and project based activities. Soon supervisors were soliciting Partners on their lines to attend and join ESL classes due to enhanced job performance and effective communication on the job.

At the end of each semester, Pilgrim’s Pride and NTCC concluded each class with a recognition event. Partners were served refreshments and presented with Certificates of Recognition. Supervisors and community college representatives acknowledged hours of attendance and students’ commitment to attend. Partners were also recognized in thePilgrim’s Pride Newsletter, Partners in Progress, with photos and human interest stories. This type of recognition focused on the importance of education and carried over to Partners’ families. By attending workplace education classes, Partners served as educational role models for their children.

In May of each year, Pilgrim’s Pride Partners are recognized at the NTCC GED graduation ceremony. Through the years, Pilgrim’s has shared a major role in the graduation event. The formal welcome to the event is given in English and also in Spanish to address families and friends of all graduates. In 1999, Mr. David Van Hoose, then Pilgrim’s Pride CEO/COO, served as keynote speaker.

Many Partners have been inducted into the National Adult Education Honor Society. In 2001, a Pilgrim’s Partner, Ms. Gloria Martinez, was selected to give the student response at the graduation ceremony. Gloria had been a student in the NTCC Workforce Literacy Program for over three years and completed her GED in Spanish and English. Offering classes at the workplace made it possible for her to attend. Ms. Martinez also received the J. Travis Jackson Rotary Scholarship and continued her studies in the fall of 2001 at NTCC. Ms. Martinez is scheduled to graduate with her associate degree in spring 2005.

At the close of the three-year grant period, Pilgrim’s Pride and NTCC entered into a partnership agreement to continue with workforce literacy at the job site. Local funds were established by Pilgrim’s Pride to sustain the program. These funds continue today and assist with teacher training, salaries, supplies, materials, and recognition events for Partners and teachers.

So the next time you pass one of Mr. Pilgrim’s trucks or eat a delicious piece of Pilgrim’s Pride chicken, one might ask, is it the chicken or workforce literacy? It appears that they definitely go hand in hand. In order to succeed at Pilgrim’s Pride, there can not be one without the other, and as Mr. Pilgrim, would say, “It’s just a mind boggling thing.”

After teaching first grade for 13 years, Sue Barker began work for Northeast Texas Community College (NTCC). In 1987, through NTCC and a Title 6 grant, she established a library literacy program in her hometown of Mt. Vernon, Texas. Today, Sue serves as Director of Adult Education at NTCC. Recently, a community college student wrote of adult education efforts, “It is such important work, and it means so much…” Ms. Barker holds a Masters Degree in Education from East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas.