Skip to main content;
Texas LEARNS logo.
6005 Westview Dr. | Houston, Texas | 77055-5419 | 713-696-0700 | 1-866-696-4233

Charting a Course: Responding to the Industry-Related
Adult Basic Education Needs of the Texas Workforce
Handbook One: Planning and Implementation Tips
for Program Planners and Administrators

Appendix A - Delivering Workforce/Workplace ESOL: An Inventory for Program Directors

Successful work-related instructional programs require educators to step into the culture of the workplace as they prepare to deliver quality services. This inventory is designed to help you gage your preparedness and to identify areas in which professional development would enhance instructional planning and delivery. Because your experiences vary, your needs for professional development and technical assistance will also be different.  Please take a few minutes to thoughtfully complete this inventory.  A check in the first column indicates you feel you are sufficiently knowledgeable about the topic.  A check in the PD column suggests a need for training for yourself and/or instructional staff.
 *
Name ________________________________ Email  ___________________________________

Program _______________________________________________ GREAT Center _____________________________

 

Delivering Workforce/Workplace ESOL: An Inventory for Program Directors

 
Program Capacity
Yes
PD
  1. Is your adult education program known as a strong workplace education resource in the community?
   
  1. Does your advisory board currently include at least one employer and a representative of the local workforce development board?
   
  1. Do you as a program manager understand the culture of the workplace and how it can impact the design and delivery of instructional services?
   
  1. Do you have a good understanding of your community’s labor market information and workforce needs?
   
  1. Does your program have sufficient internal resources to start up a workforce/workplace program (i.e., adequate finances, staff, and administrative support)?
   
  1. Do you already have a marketing plan or packet that highlights work-related instructional services you can provide to local employers? (marketing packet should include specific services available)
   
  1. Do you or a staff member know how to gather and interpret information to market and plan successful workforce / workplace instruction so that business and industry understand what is involved?
   
  1. Do you as a program manager know how to customize instruction to address workplace ESOL needs or do you have staff who can readily do this?
   
Partnerships
Yes
PD
  1. Do you currently have successful collaborations / partnerships with businesses in your community that enable you to extend adult education services into the workplace?
    
  1. Do you consider your partnership with your local workforce board strong and effective?
   
  1. Does your program currently receive any training dollars from local businesses or the local workforce development board to provide work-related instruction?
   
  1. Are critical support services that enable adult learners to participate in work-related instruction provided through community partners / stakeholders (childcare, transportation stipends, payment for uniforms and equipment, effective job development and placement)?
   
  1. Has your program ever been included by a partnering community college in an application for a grant to fund work-related instruction (i.e., Self Sufficiency and/or Skills Development grants)?
   
Language Task Analysis
Yes
PD
  1. Have you and instructional staff had the opportunity to learn about the culture of the workplace by touring plants, job shadowing, or meeting with employers / employees re: perceived needs?
   
  1. Do you know how to conduct a language task analysis or literacy audit for a business or industry?
   
  1. Has instructional staff ever participated in activities to identify the specific language and basic skills needed by workers in their jobs?
   
Determining Mutual Goals and Objectives
Yes
PD
  1. Can you clearly articulate the proposed goals of your work-related instructional offerings to a funding agency, employer, or post secondary education and training provider?
   
  1. Based on input from employers and employees, do you know what to do if their goals and objectives for instruction differ?
   
  1. Are you comfortable / willing to discuss fees for services if your program will not be paying all costs?
   
  1. Do you know what to include in a written proposal / agreement to provide work-related instructional services (services to be provided, duration of program, logistics, objectives, expectations, related costs, etc.)?
   
  1. If AE services are part of a more comprehensive education and training package, are you able to anticipate next steps, gaps in services, and costs needing to be covered?
   
Developing Curriculum and Instruction
Yes
PD
  1. Do you know the qualities to look for when selecting an instructor to teach in the workplace or in a work-related instructional program?
   
  1. Do you understand the need to adapt curriculum to the work-related needs of employers and  employees?
   
  1. Do you and your staff know how to use the information gathered in a language task analysis / literacy audit to develop curriculum and plan instruction?
   
  1. Do your instructors know how to adapt/incorporate authentic workplace materials into instruction?
   
  1. Do you have the tools needed to provide professional development and resources to instructors to ensure quality workplace ESOL instruction, assessment, and evaluation?
   
  1. If given the opportunity to integrate ESL instruction with vocational training in order to bridge the gap between AE and post secondary, would you and your teachers know how to adapt instruction?
   
Monitor, Evaluate, and Report
Yes
PD
  1. Are you and instructional staff knowledgeable about alternative assessments that can document changes in learners’ work-related performance and behavior (BEST/TABE scores may have no significant value to employers)?
   
  1. Do instructors know how to capture testimonials from employers and employees and record observations related to improved work-related skills?
   
  1. Are you knowledgeable about the kinds of information to include in formative and summative reports to employers or external funding sources?
   

Based on your responses to this inventory, what do you believe are the top three priorities/areas in which professional development / assistance would be most beneficial to you and your staff?  The descriptions below correspond to the modules in Handbooks # 1 and 2, enabling you to customize your own PD. 

  • Program capacity:  Assessing preparedness, identifying local needs and marketing AE services / solutions to potential customers
  • Ramping up partnerships: Facilitating a team of stakeholders to provide a continuum of education and training services to LEPs
  • Language task analysis:  Developing a profile of employers’/employees’ needs in the workplace or targeted industries and occupations
  • Defining clear, achievable, mutual goals and instructional objectives
  • Curriculum and Instruction: Planning and delivering industry-related, customer-driven instruction
  • Monitoring, evaluating, and reporting learner progress (changes in performance & behavior) and program success to multiple stakeholders
  • Other (please describe)