Workplace Discussion List Members,

Here are the Thursday Resources for this week.  Some of them have quite
long URLs which seem destined to be split between two lines when you
receive this message.  Remember to cut and paste both parts into your
browser window if you want to access them. 

There are several grant and funding opportunities included this week.
Most are from WorkforceUSA toward the end of this list, but don't miss
the one listed in the resources from PEN (Public Education Network),
toward the beginning of the list.

*****I would like to know if there is interest in having a discussion
about Work Readiness Certificates with some experts on the various ones
currently being used as a part of the discussion.  The first resource
from Jobs for the Future provides a short comparison, but there are
other questions you may have that this resource doesn't answer.  If this
discussion would appeal to you, please respond to the list so I can
gauge the interest.  Also, if there are work readiness certificates
being used or considered by your state that are not in the JFF resource,
let me know about them with a contact person, if possible. Thanks for
your help!*****

Donna

Donna Brian, Moderator
Workplace Literacy Discussion List  
djgbrian at utk.edu


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



>From Jobs for the Future http://www.jff.org


A Survey of Selected Work Readiness Certificates
	The United Way of Rhode Island asked JFF to prepare a scan of
work readiness certificates that have emerged throughout the United
States in recent years. A Survey of Selected Work Readiness Certificate
Models, by JFF's Norma Rey-Alicea and Geri Scott, 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 issues that stakeholders should consider in determining which
approaches would most benefit their state's unique demographics,
economy, and political landscape.
http://www.jff.org/JFF_KC_Pages.php?WhichLevel=1&lv1_id=4&lv2_id=0&lv3_i
d=0&KC_M_ID=315#Publication

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


>From PEN [Public Education Network] Weekly NewsBlast for February 23,

2007 [To read a colorful online version of the complete NewsBlast with a
larger typeface, visit:
http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_current.asp. The following
resources are excerpted from that complete version.]

"Grants to Support Job Skills & Education for Disadvantaged Youth"
	Staples Foundation for Learning Grants provide funding to
programs that support or provide job skills and/or education for all
people, with a special emphasis on disadvantaged youth. Maximum Award:
varies. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: April 6, 2007.
http://www.staplesfoundation.org/foundapplication.html

AN EDUCATION STRATEGY TO PROMOTE OPPORTUNITY, PROSPERITY & GROWTH 
	This paper discusses a framework for education policy, from
early childhood through post-secondary education, along with major
reform ideas consistent with that framework. Brookings Institution
scholars present evidence showing that education is critical to
broad-based economic growth. Investments in education yield large
returns to both society and the individual. Furthermore, expanding
access to high-quality education directly addresses one of the major
causes of increased inequality: technological changes that increasingly
reward skilled workers. The paper presents evidence suggesting that
America's educational system is neither in crisis nor reaching its full
potential. To better secure the benefits of a strong education system,
the paper outlines an evidence- based strategy that calls for new
investments in some areas (such as early education) and structural
reforms in others (such as the teacher tenure system). A recently
proposed early education program for disadvantag  ed children and a
proposal to dramatically simplify the federal student financial aid
system are discussed in detail.
http://www.brookings.edu/views/papers/200702education.htm

THE REAL STORY BEHIND INEQUALITY & EDUCATION 
	Lawmakers, including President Bush, insist the main reason
behind the growth of economic inequality is increased rewards to
education. But a new issue brief from EPI shows that this explanation
tells only part of the story, and is particularly inadequate regarding
recent inequality trends. Senior economist Jared Bernstein and president
Lawrence Mishel examine the many forces driving the recent rise in
inequality, showing that while more highly educated workers always have
an earnings advantage over others, even a college degree will not
inoculate workers against the many economic challenges they face today.
http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/ib232

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


>From Washington Post 2/25/07  http://www.washingtonpost.com Building a

Career Path Where There Was Just a Dead End
	[Reports on "sectoral training" results in several communities.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/25/AR200702
2501370.html?referrer=email

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


>From Training Zone (UK) http://www.trainingzone.co.uk Emotional

Intelligence at Work
	Rob Sheffield examines how emotional intelligence or EI can be
as important as IQ at work.
http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=165533

E-Learning Study Forecasts Growth in Informal Learning Networks
	The study highlights how organisations use and benefit from
different types of e-learning, identifies critical success factors for
e-learning success, and considers future trends.
http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=164919

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


>From WorkforceUSA:  Funding Opportunities


Below please find links to the most recent funding opportunities listed
on WorkforceUSA:
[Note from Donna: You must register to access these sites, but
registration is free.]
 
Abell Foundation Grants
http://www.workforceusa.net/fund_det.php?fund_op_id=131

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Standard of Living and Economic Performance
Grants
http://www.workforceusa.net/fund_det.php?fund_op_id=133

AAOHN Foundation New Investigator Researcher Grants
http://www.workforceusa.net/fund_det.php?fund_op_id=134

American Express Economic Independence Fund
http://www.workforceusa.net/fund_det.php?fund_op_id=135

Bank of America Foundation Grants
http://www.workforceusa.net/fund_det.php?fund_op_id=137

California Community Foundation Grants
http://www.workforceusa.net/fund_det.php?fund_op_id=140

Foundation for the Mid-South Grants
http://www.workforceusa.net/fund_det.php?fund_op_id=146

Deutsche Bank Community Development Grants
http://www.workforceusa.net/fund_det.php?fund_op_id=144 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>From ASTD http://www.astd.org

2006 ASTD State of the Industry Report (Executive Summary)
	ASTD's annual review of trends in workplace learning and
performance finds learning expenditures and technology usage increasing.
The 2006 report includes data from 1999 through 2005, as well as an
analysis of 2006 ASTD BEST Award winners.
http://www.astd.org/NR/rdonlyres/A314C9A6-D2F1-42C7-AD72-F2F3EA0D688F/11
196/2006SOIRExecsum.pdf 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~