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

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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).

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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.