Charting a Course: Responding to the
Industry-Related
Adult Basic Education Needs of the Texas Workforce
Handbook Two: Workplace Savy for Workforce-related Instruction
Modules #5 & 6
Module Six: Delivering Instruction Responsive to Identified
Needs
Did You Know That…
Access to occupational training does not always require
a GED or high
school diploma? This by no means lessens the importance of these credentials,
but it is important to familiarize ourselves with other options for those
who may be a long way from obtaining the GED but who have marketable
skills and a strong work ethic as well as a critical need for employment.
Many community colleges offer non-credit, short term occupational training
that provides access to certificates and licensure. The offerings vary
from college to college, but the opportunities should be explored by
both instructors and adult learners. SHOP TALK #14 includes a link to
Austin Community College’s Quick Careers page which describes both
credit and non-credit entry level training opportunities, some of which
can be completed in a year or less (http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/texaslearns/st/st14.htm).
Another important initiative to watch: the development
of work readiness credentials and certificates. Earlier this year, Jobs
for the Future completed a survey of several work readiness certificates
and credentials that have emerged throughout the United States. Today,
many states find themselves challenged by a paradox - employers who are
demanding “work-ready” job candidates versus significant
numbers of residents who have trouble getting a job due to lack of educational
and professional credentials.
A Survey of Selected Work Readiness Credentials (Rey-Alicea
and Scott, 2007) summarizes five of the nation’s many work readiness
certificates, which are representative of the diverse range of such initiatives
in terms of target population, certification requirements, geography,
and other factors. The report highlights the benefits and costs associated
with each, as well as issues that stakeholders should consider in determining
which approaches would most benefit their state’s unique demographics,
economy, and political landscape. In addition, a number of states are
developing their own certificates and credentials. The full report is
available online at http://www.jff.org/JFF_KC_Pages.php?WhichLevel=1&lv1_id=4&lv2_id=0&lv3_id=0&KC_M_ID=315
While Texas has not adopted or endorsed any of the products included
in the report, Texas LEARNS continues to conduct its own review of certificates/credentials.
The National Work Readiness Credential in particular, which
was originally developed in response to the Equipped for the Future
Content Standards (EFF)
and the EFF Worker Role Map, has been utilized to inform the
Texas Content Standards and Benchmarks and their applicability to adult
learners’ workforce-related needs. Adult educators involved in
the development of the state’s content standards found its language
easy to navigate because of its EFF origins. Adult education directors
may find the same language a useful basis for dialogue with workforce
partners and post secondary institutions.
The credentials/certificates are intended to help learners quantify
their work readiness and eligibility to join a pool of qualified individuals
who are ready for job-specific technical training. For many learners,
a work readiness credential or certificate could provide a “mid-level” certification
linked to the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the workplace.
For out-of-school youth and adults who are a long way from earning their
GED diploma, it may represent an explicit picture of work-related skills
and knowledge already attained.
Other facts you might find helpful…
- According to the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS),
approximately 40 million adults have limited literacy skills, making
tasks such as filling out an application or reading a food label difficult.
- Eighty percent of manufacturers report a moderate to severe shortage
of qualified job candidates (National Association of Manufacturers,
2001).
- Approximately 40% of manufacturers are spending at least 2% of payroll
on training for shop-floor and hourly workers, up from less than 1
percent in the early 1990s (NAM,
1998).
- OSHA estimates
that 25% of job site accidents are attributable to the language barrier.
- Of the 7 million construction workers in the United States, roughly
25% are of Hispanic origin (NAHB Economics
Group, Data on Hispanic Population, Homeowners, and Construction
Workers, January 2006).
- Accidents sidelined injured workers for an average of 33 days per
year (Builder Magazine, July 2006).
- Formal employer-provided training increases productivity anywhere
from 10% to 16% (National Bureau of Economic Research).
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that by 2008 there will
be a 9% increase in jobs that require apprenticeship or work-based
training of a year or more.
- Only 25% of the nation’s workforce can read a description of
two kinds of employee benefits and explain the differences (US Chamber
of Commerce, Center for Workforce Preparation, 2006).
- The U.S. Department of Labor indicates that the three factors having
the greatest impact on the labor market status of immigrant workers
are education, length of time in the U.S., and English proficiency.
- Among non-immigrant language minority populations in the U.S., educational
attainment and English language proficiency are considered significant
factors affecting their labor market status.
- 27 million adults in the U.S. do not have a high school diploma.
- Over 3 million Texas residents are limited English proficient.
- More than half of U.S. adults with high school diplomas read at such
low levels that they are unable to find information in a text needed
to perform a task.