We have been having a similar discussion here in Massachusetts recently
about the desirability of developing more workplace education programs. 
 I'm glad to know we are not the only ones thinking about this!   I
agree--the growth of career ladder programs, which often include
workplace literacy, numeracy, ABE/ESOL and sometimes GED classes,
requires a major expansion of both the programming and the workforce for
workplace education.   There are not enough of them!  And the "Perfect
Storm" of a growing immigrant workforce, declining worker skill levels,
and the growing skill demands of the "new economy" make it somewhat
urgent that more programs be developed and implemented.  

So many workers, including new immigrants, are working long hours, have
enormous family responsibilities, and find it very difficult to handle
the logistics and time of attending community-based classes, or have to
leave those classes when they get a job or a new job.  It makes a lot of
sense to bring those classes into the workplace, where the workers are! 
  I will never forget testimony I heard a few years ago in support of
state legislation supporting workplace education, by a new staff member
of the local janitors' union (SEIU Local 615), who said that in all the
years since emigrating from Central America and working two and three
jobs, he had never had time to learn English until he went to work for
the union and was able to take English classes.    How many thousands
(millions, nationally) more would benefit from English classes right in
their workplace?  And other programs as well.   It is my belief that
release time, either full or partial, are key to their success, and this
has been amply demonstrated through many career ladder programs here and
elsewhere.  Learning on work time is a great thing for employers to
invest in, and often pays off amply in employee retention, added skills,
and in hiring and recruitment, as well as the obvious gains experienced
by learners in their work, personal, family and community lives.  

Unions especially have become very smart and skilled at developing such
workplace-based programs to meet students' needs and negotiate them into
contracts so that they become ongoing and sustainable.   Some of the
best workplace education programs are labor-based, because they grow out
of workers' needs and becasue they are negotiated, are often more
sustainable, and I would like to see a lot more.  In our state, the
state AFL-CIO federation, and many local unions, including several of
the Service Employees Union (SEIU), have made great gains in recent
years, and 1199SEIU (health care employees) has begun an exciting new
labor-management education fund in our area.  Massachusetts Worker
Education Roundtable works with many local unions to help them develop
and implement their workplace education programs, and most are very
effective.  But, they are still few and far between.   Private
non-profits providing workplace education are even scarcer.  

Things are actually farther along than we were in the "heyday" of
workplace education in the 1990's, and we have learned many lessons that
will help.  It is my hope that there is a "critical mass" in terms of
interest in this area, and learning how to make workplace education
programs meet the needs of both workers and employers, that may help us
get to where we need to go.  A few things we have really learned in
recent years are that:
1)  Most ABE students say they are in ABE programs in order to get a
job, or a better job; 
2)  It's often most effective to offer workplace-based classes that are
"contextualized" with the language, culture and functions of the
workplace; and
3)  Workplace-based education programs that combine occupational skills
training and literacy education, either in a single classroom or in an
integrated program, often 
result in the most success for students.  

The big barrier so far is funding, which has dwindled since the early
'90's (can anyone tell me why? it is counter-intuitive, but politics and
history had a lot do with it).  Additional funding, public AND private,
is badly needed.  Often an employer will only start a workplace ed
program if there is "outside" funding to start it up and support it in
the beginning.  Later, when worker skills improve and cost savings
become more evident, there can be more willingness for the employer to
support such a program financially, at least in part, but first they
need to see evidence of its success.  For some reason, though, it has
not been easy to "lure" businesses into starting up such programs, even
though here in Mass. we have several state-funded "pots of money" to
support them, including the Workforce Trust Fund, the Economic Stimulus
Bill, and Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, and DOE-supported
Workplace Education programs, plus several private-funded initiatives
such as the SkillWorks Collaborative (a Boston-based  public-private
consortium of funders) and those supported by individual philanthropies.
 But, to date employers have rarely taken the initiative to start one of
these programs, and they are often initiated by and funding proposals
developed by literacy education providers, who approach an employer and
convince them to try it.   I think we need a national campaign to alert
employers to the benefits of workplace literacy programs, and also the
public advocacy to support start-up of many more such programs.  But,
until employers unequivocally see the need to initiate, support and
sustain such programs, what we will probably see is more pilot programs
and short-term local, employer-specific initiatives.  Workplace
education really needs a strategy to "go to scale" and become a part of
the way many employers do business.  We have a long way to go. 
So-called "sectoral strategies" that engage an entire industry or
employment sector, apparently help--by raising the bar for all employers
in the field to offer education programs, by demonstrating their
success, and by reducing the ability of employers to "raid" employees
whom other businesses have trained and educated.  

For ABE programs to begin to offer more workplace-based classes will
require an expansion of funding and growing new capacity and specific
skills in teachers.  A program that has been functioning for years in
the community often will find it difficult to expand their capacity to
find employer partners, write grant proposals, and develop new
workplace-based programming and teachers with the needed skills--unless
there is specific dedicated funding for the additional staffing and work
that it requires.   And workplace education needs sustained, ongoing
funding so that programs do not have to hire and lay-off and re-hire
teachers over and over as contracts with particular employers come and
go.     

Through SABES (our state DOE-funded System for Adult Basic Education
Support), we continue to provide support, professional development and
peer sharing for workplace ed programs and practitioners, but it's
evident that there should and could be many more of them.    One thing
we have been doing recently is developing opportunities for workplace
educators to connect to share experiences and learning across the state
via videoconference technology.  Workplace ed teachers are frequently
isolated, have few peers to talk with, and get little preparaton or
support.   The first of these videoconferencing "sharing groups" last
month was a big hit, and we plan to do others.  This will not
necessarily build the supply of workplace ed programs or teachers, but
it will help build their capacity and improve quality, and help retain
teachers in the field.  

I will listen with great interest to what others around the country are
doing and think is needed.  Thanks for initiating this important
conversation.

Laurie Sheridan, Workforce Development Coordinator
World Education
44 Farnsworth St.
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 482-9485
lsheridan at worlded.org


>>> "Miller-Parker, Donna" <dmiller at shoreline.edu> 5/6/2007 6:02 PM

>>>

In addition to past experience, there is excellent work being done
currently on the topic of career pathways and the integration of basic
skills with technical training -- as well as research such as the
"Perfect Storm" report that focuses on the importance of this type of
training for our economic vitality.  It could be that the time is
right
for another national initiative.

I am enjoying seeing some familiar names in these postings from our
workplace literacy days!

Donna Miller-Parker
Director of Essential Skills
Shoreline Community College
(206) 546-4788

-----Original Message-----
From: workplace-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:workplace-bounces at nifl.gov]
On
Behalf Of Lloyd David
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 3:01 PM
To: 'The Workplace Literacy Discussion List'
Subject: [Workplace 719] Re: A national push for worker education?

Paul,
When the National Workplace Literacy Program ended, it was as if
someone
had stuck a pin in a balloon. I really think the NWLP was a good model
although little was done to really disseminate the results and
methodologies developed. I think the problem might have been the fact
the Department of Education was funding this endeavor and had few if
any
relationships with business. If I recall correctly the Department of
Labor was never involved.
There is evidence that these programs work and we could use the past
experience to try to get Congress to consider this kind of funding
again. I am willing to be part of this endeavor. 

Lloyd David, EdD.
Creative Workplace Learning
311 Washington Street
Brighton, MA 02135
Tel :  617-746-1260
FAX: 617-782-0136

-----Original Message-----
From: workplace-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:workplace-bounces at nifl.gov]
On
Behalf Of JURMO at ucc.edu 
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 10:03 AM
To: workplace at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Workplace 718] A national push for worker education?

 
Donna,

Thanks for sending us your Thursday Resources.  

In reviewing the most recent one below, I see many examples of good
work
being done in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the U.K.   

I remember a time when people from those countries would say how the
U.S. was a leader in this field and that the rest of those countries
had
a lot of catching up to do.  Now I think this relationship has tipped
the other way:  Other countries are investing in developing resources
(e.g., research, curricula, guidelines for practitioners, etc.) while
the U.S. has stagnated.  

Though there are some encouraging exceptions to this (e.g., a few
states
still have workplace education initiatives, there are attempts
underway
to develop workplace basic skills assessment and curriculum tools),
I'd
ask my colleagues on this list: Do you think we need a new national
worker education initiative and, if so, what would such an initiative
include and where should leadership come from?   

Paul Jurmo, Ed.D.
Dean, Economic Development and Continuing Education Union County
College
12-24 West Jersey Street
Elizabeth, NJ  07202
908-659-5103 telephone
908-965-6010 fax
Jurmo at ucc.edu 

-----Original Message-----
From: workplace-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:workplace-bounces at nifl.gov]
On
Behalf Of Brian, Dr Donna J G
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 9:32 AM
To: The Workplace Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [Workplace 717] Thursday Resources

Colleagues,

Here's what I get (and, by extension, what you get) for skipping a
week
of Thursday Resources!  And I still have some in reserve to start out
next week's list!  There are some really great resources included
here,
but if this is just too much for you to deal with today, remember that
you can always just delete the message and access it later in the
archives of the list.  To access the list archives, go to
http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/workplace/2007/date.html.

Enjoy!

Donna

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

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


>From PEN (Public Education Network) Weekly NewsBlast for April 6,

2007
[To read anonline version of the complete NewsBlast with a larger
typeface, visit:
http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_current.asp] 

BIRTHRIGHT: MAKING COLLEGE ACCESS COMMONPLACE FOR ALL All across the
U.S. this spring, students are making graduation plans. Their
institutions will soon send names to be printed on diplomas. According
to the Census Bureau, a diploma really matters. On the average, during
an adult's working life, college graduates earn nearly one million
dollars more than those who only finish high school. They will be more
engaged as citizens, will contribute much more to the general good
through their taxes and philanthropic efforts, and be less reliant on
government services. Moreover, they also enjoy a higher quality of
life,
putting aside more savings, enjoying more leisure time and career
flexibility. In this month's Carnegie Perspectives, Ray Bacchetti puts
all these statistics into a much more personal context. He reminds us
how recently access to college became commonplace for so many
Americans.
In a moving account, he tells the story of his family's educational
experiences over three generations. Bacchetti reminds us that access
to
hig  her education is one of the blessings that every American should
expect as a birthright, not a special privilege. As we continue to be
a
nation of immigrants, those doors must remain open. In past years,
government invested heavily in the education of youth, whereas today
most support comes in the form of loans.
http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/perspectives/sub.asp?key=245&subkey=23

15

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

The following resources have been brought to our attention through the
New Zealand Literacy Portal http://www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz/  

Culture at work: How to train and assess in a culturally inclusive
way: A resource kit for trainers and assessors - 2004 (Aus) This
Australian resource kit is intended to provide thought provoking
information and practical activities for use in a culturally diverse
training and assessment environment. It is based on practical
experience
and research into community services workplaces.
<http://www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz/imsdirector.php?resid=2911&ruid=2182


>

_________________________________________________________

Literature review to inform a work programme for lifting literacy,
numeracy and language skills - 2007 (NZ) This literature review (118
pages) is intended to inform the Department of Labour's Upskilling the
Workforce programme.  The report draws on both New Zealand and
international research to look at the role of government in
encouraging
employers to engage in skill development and the barriers for
employers
investing in training to lift literacy, numeracy and language skills.
<http://www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz/imsdirector.php?resid=2955&ruid=2182


>

_________________________________________________________

Skills builder - 2007 (Aus)
This Australian resource is aimed at supervisors in a range of
construction, road and rail industries, so they can develop their
crew's
literacy skills as well as give better instructions themselves.  The
section on spelling is very comprehensive.
<http://www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz/imsdirector.php?resid=2964&ruid=2182


>

_________________________________________________________

Want the competitive edge? Literacy in the workplace - 2007 (Can) This
Canadian booklet explains and draws links between literacy,
employability, essential skills, emotional intelligence and plain
language, all essential components of effective workplaces. It
includes
information, free tools, case studies and best practice examples.  It
also has a good description of the different levels in IALS.
http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2007/03/25/514162/ResourceManual2007.pdf 
_________________________________________________________


>From Teaching and Learning Research Programme (UK)

http://www.tlrp.org/ 

Basic skills and workplace learning: what do we actually know about
their benefits?
This UK paper (20 pages) reviews the literature on the impact of
workplace basic skills training on individuals, as measured by their
effects on wages and employment probability.  In addition, it also
examines studies on the returns to individuals of general training at
the workplace. http://www.tlrp.org/dspace/retrieve/128/contedart.pdf 

Early career learning at work
This longitudinal study observed the workplace learning of 92
professional accountants, engineers and nurses during their first
three
years of full-time employment.  Its main focus was on informal
learning
and short semi-formal learning episodes.  Previous research had shown
that these are the major source of mid-career learning.  It found out
what was being learned, how it was being learned and the factors
affecting learning n a wide range of work settings.
http://www.tlrp.org/pub/documents/Eraut%20RB%2025%20FINAL.pdf 

Improving learning in the workplace
This briefing comes from an interdisciplinary network of research
projects which investigated a diverse range of contemporary
organisations.  The findings show that complex interactions between
government policy, workplace regulation and individual worker
dispositions contribute to the uneven quality of learning environments
and learning opportunities. To improve learning at work it is
important
to understand such interactions.
http://www.tlrp.org/proj/phase1/documents/RBno7.pdf 

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


>From NCVER (National Centre for Vocational Education Research)

(Australia) http://www.ncver.edu.au/ 

Education and training that meets the needs of small business: A
systematic review of research Small businesses account for the great
majority of businesses and half the private sector employment in
Australia, but only one third provide structured training for their
employees. This study, a systematic review of existing research, set
out
to find clear evidence of intervention strategies that meet small
business needs in relation to the provision of information, skills and
knowledge in the training arena. The review shows that strategies
which
match the way small business learns are more successful than direct or
formal training. Small business learns 'through doing', with the focus
on real issues in the workplace and learning through social networks.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1737.html 

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


>From Workforce3one    [Note: the following resources are available

from
Workforce3one on their website at http://www.workforce3one.org/.  You
must register to access them, but registration is free.]

Solutions for STEM  [Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics]
MentorLinks: Advancing Technological Education: The American
Association
of Community Colleges created this program with support from The
National Science Foundation to develop and strengthen training
programs
in the science, technology, engineering and mathematical fields. 

Changing the Culture of Math and Science: This report investigates the
challenges confronting math and science education from the perspective
of culture change and a call to action to implement a plan that will
increase student "demand" for and achievement in mathematics and
science
and demand occupations. 

In Pursuit of a Diverse Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics Workforce: Recommended Research Priorities to Enhance
Participation by Underrepresented Minorities: This report focuses on
the
shortage of talent to fill jobs in global science, technology,
engineering and mathematics. It examines the development of
educational
diversity programs to tap underutilized labor pools and identifies
research priorities. 

Dakota County Technical College Nanoscience Technology Degree Program:
Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) became the first Minnesota
program to award an AAS Degree in Nanoscience Technology in 2004. The
program was developed in response to local employers need for skilled
technicians. 

Growing the Nation's Bio Science Sector, State Bio Science
Initiatives:
This report presents data that measures the size, composition, and
geographic distribution of biosciences across the country. Findings
indicate that industry employment is geographically dispersed across
the
states, but that states vary greatly in the composition of their
biosciences bases. 
 
 
Webinar Invitation: Technology-Based Learning Forum
Description:  The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is
advancing the use of technology for training within the workforce
investment system. The use of E-learning is an important strategy to
help address the talent development needs in regional economies across
the country. The goal is to use E-learning to move workers into high
growth, high demand occupations and meet the needs of industry for
skilled employees. In order to increase the number of people trained
and
to further broaden opportunities for skill and competency development
made available through E-learning methodologies, ETA is convening
three
regional forums and one virtual forum via Webinars. 
Date:  05/09/2007
Time:  2:00pm Eastern (1:00pm/Central, 12:00pm/Mountain,
11:00am/Pacific)
Length:  90 minutes
Registration for this Webinar is limited and seating is on a
first-come,
first-served basis. Please click the link below to login to Workforce3
One and register today!
http://www.workforce3one.org/public/skillbuilding/webinar_info.cfm?id=19

7

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


>From MDRC

How Much is a College Degree Worth? (Fast Facts)
http://www.mdrc.org/area_fact_33.html 

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


>From Literacy Works (New Zealand) http://www.workbase.org.nz/ 


REFLECT for ESOL
This is a set of materials intended for anyone teaching or working
with
refugees, asylum seekers, or long-term immigrant groups.
http://www.skillsforlifenetwork.com/?mod=1&dok=1271 

E-learning for the Trades (Aus)
Six case studies which show how vocational tutors, mainly from the
construction trades, have developed e-learning approaches to improve
the
flexibility and impact of their teaching.  Other excellent resources
as
well include a model for e-learning, tools and examples.  Literacy is
discussed in relation to ESOL, computer use and 'digital literacy'.
http://trades.flexiblelearning.net.au/index.html 

The Learning Edge - Online Newspaper
The Learning Edge is an online newspaper for adult learners.  Most of
the issues include workforce or workplace-related articles.  The last
few issues are particularly rich in work-related basic skills areas.
http://thewclc.ca/edge/ 

Embedded Materials for Construction
Here are a range of numeracy worksheets - some of which relate to the
construction context

Ratio and Proportion
http://www.skillsforlifenetwork.com/files/temp/embedded%20ratio.pdf 

Choosing the best buy
http://www.skillsforlifenetwork.com/files/temp/Choosing%20the%20Best%20S

upplier.pdf

and accompanying spreadsheet
http://www.skillsforlifenetwork.com/files/temp/Copy%20of%20Choosing%20th

e%20Best%20Supplier.xls

Why you should fix dripping taps
http://www.skillsforlifenetwork.com/files/temp/Don't%20be%20a%20drip.pdf


Capacity
http://www.skillsforlifenetwork.com/files/temp/How%20much%20will%20it%20

hold.pdf%20.pd

The cost of bottled water
http://www.skillsforlifenetwork.com/files/temp/The%20Great%20Water%20Rob

bery.pdf

Using a scale ruler
http://www.skillsforlifenetwork.com/files/temp/Using%20a%20Scale%20ruler

.pdf

Volume problems
http://www.skillsforlifenetwork.com/files/temp/Volume%20Problems%20for%2

0Const.pdf

Water Costs
http://www.skillsforlifenetwork.com/files/temp/Water%20Costs.pdf 

Percentages Worksheet
http://www.skillsforlifenetwork.com/files/temp/Percentages.pdf 



 

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Email delivered to jurmo at ucc.edu 
----------------------------------------------------
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To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
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Email delivered to lloyd_david at ceilearn.com 

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To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
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Email delivered to dmiller at shoreline.edu 
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Workplace Literacy mailing list
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To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
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Email delivered to lsheridan at worlded.org