In response to:

  We will be starting a new workplace literacy program this year at an
aluminum extrusion plant that manufactures windows & doors. We are
planning to provide instruction at times that the first shift can attend
after their shift and the second shift can attend prior to their shift. 

I am wondering what advice others might share with us as we begin this
project. What lessons did list members learn the hard way that they
would share with us?

I coordinate a workforce development program for our non-profit literacy
agency in Green Bay, WI, where we have provided literacy programming to
about 25 businesses in the last four years.  Most of these programs have
been ESL, or ELL (English Language Learning) as we are now calling it.
In many companies we have scheduled classes exactly as Laurie has
described.  And we learned the hard way that the folks who are coming in
after their shift are hungry and tired - not in the best frame of mind
to be learning.  One thing that we have required of the companies is to
provide drinks and snacks for those people.  Sounds silly, but it makes
a big difference in their abilities to stay alert and focused.  The
group attending after their shift makes slower progress than those
attending before.  I'd be interested in others' experiences with
scheduling around shifts, especially with swing-shift workers.

Ann Barncard
Workforce Development Coordinator
Literacy Council of Brown County
424 S. Monroe Ave.
Green Bay, WI  54301
920 435-2474
 
***Celebrating our 25th Anniversary***
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/workplace/attachments/20060724/edb370e3/attachment.html