List members,

We've added several new members in the last couple of weeks, so I should
explain that I gather resources together as I become aware of them and
send them out to the list once a week bundled into one e-mail.  They
come with the subject line of "Thursday Resources" because I usually
manage to send them out on Thursday.  So here are the resources for this
week, and I hope you find something of interest in this wide variety.
Remember that if the link to a resource breaks over two lines, you will
probably have to cut and paste the two halves into the address box of
your browser in order to access the resource.

Donna

Donna Brian, Moderator
Workplace Literacy Discussion List
Center for Literacy Studies at The University of Tennessee
djgbrian at utk.edu


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>From PEN Weekly NewsBlast for February 9, 2007 [complete newsletter

available online at
http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_current.asp]
[Note from Donna: Online, this grant looks like it would be available to
a group working with adults in vocational horticulture.]
  
"Grants for Public Beautification and Horticultural Education"
Fiskars Project Orange Thumb grants award Fiskars Garden Tools and
materials such as plants, seeds, mulch, etc. to eligible gardening
groups. Maximum Award: $1,500 in implements and materials. Eligibility:
gardens and/or gardening projects geared toward community involvement,
neighborhood beautification, horticultural education and/or sustainable
agriculture. Deadline: February 28, 2007. 
http://www.fiskars.com/US/Garden/Project+Orange+Thumb/About

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>From the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB)

http://www.nawb.org/
National Meeting February 24-27: Forum 2007, Vision for a New Economy:
Workforce Leadership Matters!  
A major focus this year will be on the impact that "regionalism" will
continue to exert on the new economy and on the workforce development
system, and the critical role that workforce leadership continues to
play in this process. The ultimate goal of Forum 2007 is to create a
peer-to-peer learning environment-where workforce leaders can openly
exchange knowledge, ideas, and solutions on how their communities can
turn today's workforce challenges into long-term opportunities.
http://www.nawb.org/forum/

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>From MDRC  http://www.mdrc.org/

Rewarding the Work of Individuals: A Counterintuitive Approach to
Reducing Poverty and Strengthening Families 
In this working paper, MDRC President Gordon Berlin answers the
question: If you could do one thing to reduce poverty in America, what
would it be? Drawing on experimental evidence about the impact of
earnings supplements, he explores the potential advantages of expanding
the federal Earned Income Tax Credit to all low-wage adults who work
full time - whether they have children or not and whether they marry or
not.  http://www.mdrc.org/publications/443/workpaper.html

"A Vision for the Future of the Workforce Investment System" by John
Wallace  http://www.mdrc.org/publications/440/concept.html 

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Brought to our attention by New Zealand Literacy Portal

Building Basics: ESOL Toolkit for General Construction, Landscaping,
Painting, and Plumbing (US)
This is a large resource developed by the Virginia Adult Learning
Resource Center for NESB workers employed as general labourers,
landscapers, painters and plumbers. There are both facilitators guides
and student handouts for each area.  This comprehensive resource will be
very useful for vocational tutors.
<http://www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz/imsdirector.php?resid=2873&ruid=2182

>


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>From Center for an Urban Future

http://www.nycfuture.org/content/home/index.cfm
A World of Opportunity  by Jonathan Bowles 
This new report by the Center documents that immigrant entrepreneurs
have emerged as a key engine of economic growth for cities from New York
to Los Angeles--and, with the right support, could provide an even
bigger boost to these cities in the years ahead.
http://www.nycfuture.org/images_pdfs/pdfs/IE-final.pdf

Help More Immigrants Learn English  by Tara Colton 
In an op/ed in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, CUF Associate
Research Director Tara Colton highlights the tremendous need for English
language instruction throughout New York State and urges business
leaders and elected officials to step up their support for ESOL
programs.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061210/
OPINION02/612100344/1039/OPINION

Lost In Translation   by Tara Colton 
This new report finds that while immigrants have become a growing part
of the workforce in nearly every corner of New York State, the state-run
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program has not come
close to keeping pace with the demand, creating a skills gap that could
hurt the state's economic competitiveness.
http://www.nycfuture.org/images_pdfs/pdfs/LostInTranslation.pdf

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>From Workforce Week  http://www.workforce.com

TJX's Welfare-to-Work Success 
How the retailer partnered with Goodwill to fulfill its entry-level
workforce needs. http://www.workforce.com/images/misc/tjx.pdf

Calculate the Cost and Benefits of Training 
A four-step process for measuring the savings that training provides and
comparing it to the costs.
http://www.workforce.com/section/11/article/23/95/44.html

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>From The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)

[Australia]  http://www.ncver.edu.au/ 
This booklet gives teachers and trainers in vocational education and
training some easily digestible information about learning styles. It
provides practical tips on how to identify students' learning styles,
and how to respond to individuals and groups based on their preferred
methods of learning. There is not a 'best' theory about learning styles;
however, understanding learning styles theories helps teachers to
observe their students more systematically and be more methodical in
experimenting with alternative teaching approaches.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nd3103b.pdf

Training skilled workers: Lessons from the oil and gas industry  
This report analyses the progression of workers from process workers to
supervisors in the oil and gas (hydrocarbons) industry, and the kind of
training and work experiences they have undertaken. It also looks for
commonalities in the skills progression for different workers, and draws
out implications for the oil and gas industry, other industries and the
vocational education and training (VET) system. The extensive formal and
informal training delivered within the oil and gas industry has
essentially been conducted in isolation from the formal VET sector. The
study offers insights into the way advanced skills are developed by
mature workers in a demanding industry, and suggests ways in which the
VET sector could respond.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr3016.pdf

NCVER News #151-- Latest News from NCVER 5 February 2007
http://www.ncver.edu.au/newsevents/news/issue_151.html

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