Workforce Readiness

Overview Of Virtual Workroom On Workforce Readiness

Rationale

"Education is the only sure path out of poverty and the only way to achieve a more equal and just society."
– Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education

Why should adult educators focus on workforce readiness of their learners?

  • This directive comes from the highest levels of government, including the U.S. Department of Education (through its Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, or OCTAE) and the California Department of Education, Adult Education Office. This priority is reflected in federal and state policy and funding practices.

Early in his presidency, Barack Obama stated his goal that the United States have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020, and toward that end, the federal Office of Adult and Vocational Education identified three goals for 2011–12:

  • GOAL 1: All youths and adults are ready for, have access to, and complete college and career pathways.
  • GOAL 2: All youths and adult students have effective teachers and leaders.
  • GOAL 3: All youths and adult students have equitable access to high–quality learning opportunities on demand.

In their February 16, 2016 Newsletter OCTAE elaborated on the above goals and emphasizing their commitment to the adult learner by:

" helping them to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self–sufficiency; obtain, for parents, the skills necessary to become full partners in the educational development of their children; complete a secondary education and transition to postsecondary education; and assist immigrants and other English language learners to improve their English literacy and understanding of the American system of government, individual freedom, and the responsibilities of citizenship."

Likewise, the California Department of Education has identified workforce readiness as a high priority for adult educators, as evidenced by numerous presentations by its Adult Education Office Administrator Debra Jones. Jones has repeatedly called upon adult educators of California to focus on transitioning students to the workforce and to postsecondary training and to establish partnerships in their communities.

Content Summary

  • The Instructional Strategies and Materials pages make up the largest section of the Virtual Workroom. With separate resources for ESL teachers and ABE/ASE teachers, these pages provide numerous examples of classroom activities and materials that integrate and contextualize workforce skills and offer teachers guidance in using and adapting these materials.
  • The Related Research and Additional Resources pages illuminate the research basis for integrating and contextualizing workforce skills into instruction. These pages are of interest to administrators and instructors alike who seek to understand the broader context.
  • The Program Infrastructure Supports pages provide adult education administrators basic information, such as case studies and manuals, for establishing and supporting career pathways programs. This section also provides resources to help administrators establish collaborative partnerships that support career pathways programs.

Instructional Strategies and Materials

How can adult literacy providers prepare their learners to contribute significantly to the workforce in the 21st century? One way is for teachers to integrate and contextualize workforce skills into their daily and weekly literacy instruction.

This workroom provides teachers with guidance and sets of student materials for Adult Basic Education and Adult Secondary Education Instruction and English as a Second Language Instruction.

ABE/ASE Instruction

Below are six sets of instructional materials that demonstrate effective ways to integrate and contextualize workforce skills into Adult Basic Education and Adult Secondary Education. Each set of materials includes guidance to the teacher in using and adapting these activities with his/her learners.

To read a summary of the activity or lesson, click Summary. To access the materials, click Set of Instructional Materials, which will open as a Word document in a new window.
 

  • Active Listening

    In this lesson ABE or ASE students practice using active listening skills, then rate their own listening abilities. In related expansion activities, students discuss which of the skills practiced in this activity transfer to the workplace, and students also identify and describe one career goal and three action steps they can take to reach that goal.

  • Be Proactive

    In this lesson, ABE students develop their awareness about the value of being proactive, both in education and in the workplace. They examine seven habits of highly effective people. In an expansion activity, students write a response to a job application question, in which they illustrate how they have been pro–active in overcoming an obstacle.

  • Career Investigation

    In this lesson, ABE or ASE students practice using active listening skills, then rate their own listening abilities. In related expansion activities, students discuss which of the skills practiced in this activity transfer to the workplace, and students also identify and describe one career goal and three action steps they can take to reach that goal.

  • Preparing a Speech

    In this lesson ABE or ASE students prepare a 60– to 90–second speech in response to a question commonly asked in a job interview. Students study qualities of a good speaker and evaluate their peers' speeches according to a matrix. This lesson can serve as an introduction to future speech assignments.

  • Taking an Inventory

    Suitable for both ABE and ASE instruction, this lesson asks students to work in teams and collaborate on taking an inventory. Afterwards, students identify and describe which skills they practiced transfer to the workplace.

  • Using Venn Diagrams to Make Comparisons

    In this lesson, ABE or ASE students compare the occupational requirements of an instructional aide with those of a student, using an Evaluation Form for an Instructional Aide and a Venn Diagram which students complete.

Additional Resources

On the Teachers page of the Virtual Workroom for Workforce Readiness, instructors can access additional Web sites for their own professional development. They can also find resources for learners, including several related to career searches.

In Related Research and Additional Resources, instructors can find out more about the underlying research basis for integrating and contextualizing workforce skills in the classroom, including the essential information on Four Workforce–Related Frameworks which every adult educator should know about.
 

For More In–Depth Study

Read a description of CALPRO's training on Integrated and Contextualized Workforce Skills in the ABE/ASE Classroom. Instructors may choose to take this training in one of two different online formats: a facilitated four–week course or as a shorter online workshop in real time.

Pursue this CALPRO training in face–to–face format. Find out how to schedule one of these workshops in your region.

ESL Instruction

The following represents 11 sets of instructional materials that demonstrate effective ways to integrate and contextualize workforce skills into ESL instruction. Each set of student materials is preceded by guidance to the teacher in using and adapting these activities with his/her learners.

To read a summary of the activity or lesson, click Summary. To access the materials, click Set of Instructional Materials, which will open as a Word document in a new window.

  • Tell Me About Yourself

    In this beginning level lesson students practice communication skills by asking and answering questions about their jobs, their lives and why they are studying English. They demonstrate sociability. At the end of the activity, they have a clearer understanding of who the other students are in their class.

  • Skills to Help You Succeed

    In this lesson students take inventory of the skills they have that will help them succeed in class and at work. After doing a personal self-inventory in each area, they share with a partner. They learn to make explicit statements about their own skills, which once practiced in the classroom can be transferred to the workplace. This activity helps students understand what employers are expecting from their employees.

  • Reading an Online Want Ad

    In this lesson students read an online ad, listen to a few questions about it, think about their responses, and pairs or groups share their answers. The teacher circulates to supervise discussions and then randomly calls on students. Students rehearse their answers with classmates before sharing verbally in front of the whole class. This activity calls students' attention to the personal qualities (soft skills) and the technical skills (hard skills) required on many jobs.

  • Writing a Résumé

    In this lesson students write a basic résumé. Through interactive activities they obtain the information included in a résumé and then copy the information onto a résumé template. They learn to make an objective statement, list their educational background and job experience and list some of their personal qualities and skills. This activity makes résumé writing interactive and fun. Students leave the class with a résumé they can actually use when they apply for jobs.

  • Choosing the Best Applicant

    In this lesson students read descriptions of three job applicants and decide which skills each applicant has and who is the best candidate for the position.

  • Thank–You Letters

    In this lesson students read a sample thank-you letter written after a job interview. They use the model to write their own thank–you letter.

  • The Career in My Future

    In this lesson students investigate a career they would like to have in the future; as they interpret documents and understand organizational systems they learn about the educational and certification requirements for a job. Students give oral presentations in front of the class. Class members reflect on and evaluate the presentations.

  • Bar Graph Lesson

    In this lesson students gather, summarize, chart and interpret class information on a bar graph using mathematical and reading skills. They learn about their classmates? jobs and life roles.

  • Using an Authentic Document from the Workplace to Read a Chart

    In this lesson students read and analyze an employee's performance evaluation. They learn how to read and interpret a chart that they might see at work.

  • Problem Solving Lesson

    In this lesson students apply critical thinking skills to solving real life problems; they learn about United States cultural, familial, organizational and social systems.

  • What Kind of Worker Are You?

    In this lesson students interpret and communicate information by asking and answering questions about what kind of workers they are. They demonstrate sociability by greeting each other, closing the conversation, and taking leave politely. At the end of the activity, they have a clearer understanding of the kind of worker they are.

The above 11 sets of materials were written by CALPRO consultants Donna Price and Ronna Magy.

Additional Resources

In the Related Research and Additional Resources, instructors can find out more about the underlying research basis for integrating and contextualizing workforce skills in the classroom, including the essential information on Four Workforce–Related Frameworks which every adult educator should know about.

For More In–Depth Study

Read a description of CALPRO's training on Integrated and Contextualized Workforce Skills in the ESL Classroom. ESL instructors may choose to take this training in one of two different online formats: a facilitated four–week course or as a shorter online workshop in real time.

Pursue this CALPRO training in face–to–face format. Find out how to schedule one of these workshops in your region.

View the online course catalog for details about upcoming online courses and workshops.

Resources for Teachers

The following curricular resources are recommended for instructors. In addition, teachers may also find helpful the Career Resources listed below as well as the Resources for Learners.

Eligible ABE, ASE, and ESL teachers can dialog with their peers in CALPRO's companion electronic Community of Practice. In the e-CoP, you can join a discussion forum on integrating and contextualizing workforce skills or start another discussion topic related to Workforce Readiness.

Four Workforce–Related Frameworks

What skills are crucial to success in the workplace? Over the last thirty years, experts from business, government, education and community–based organizations have identified what is essential to prepare students for successful transitions from classroom to the workplace. The following four "Workforce–Related Frameworks" have had a major national impact on standards, funding, and curriculum and instruction relative to Workforce Skills.

Becoming familiar with the Four Workforce-Related Frameworks provides essential background information and prepares you to apply Workforce Skills instructional practices and integrate them in your classroom.

Below are the links to the four Frameworks as well as two comparison documents: these documents include a single chart that summarizes all four Frameworks and a comparison chart that explores similarities among the Frameworks.

Additional Resources For Teachers

Career Resources

Resources For Learners

Resources for Administrators

Adult school administrators will find the pages on Program Infrastructure Supports helpful in planning, establishing, and supporting career pathways programs of study.

Administrators may also be interested to review the research basis for integrating and contextualizing workforce skills. This includes essential information on Four Workforce–Related Frameworks which every adult educator should know about.

Four Workforce–Related Frameworks

What skills are crucial to success in the workplace? Over the last thirty years, experts from business, government, education and community–based organizations have identified what is essential to prepare students for successful transitions from classroom to the workplace. The following four "Workforce–Related Frameworks" have had a major national impact on standards, funding, and curriculum and instruction relative to Workforce Skills.

Becoming familiar with the Four Workforce–Related Frameworks provides essential background information and prepares teachers to apply Workforce Skills instructional practices and integrate them into your classroom.

Below are the links to the four Frameworks as well as two comparison documents: these documents include a single chart that summarizes all four Frameworks and a comparison chart that explores similarities among the Frameworks.

Related Research and Additional Resources

This page provides many resources for understanding the research basis of integrating and contextualizing workforce skills in the literacy classroom. This page also lists additional, recommended resources of interest to teachers and administrators alike, categorized by topic.

Four Workforce–Related Frameworks

What skills are crucial to success in the workplace?
Over the last 30 years, experts from business, government, education and community–based organizations have identified what is essential to prepare students for successful transitions from classroom to the workplace. The following four "Workforce–Related Frameworks" have had a major national impact on standards, funding, and curriculum and instruction relative to Workforce Skills.

Becoming familiar with the Four Workforce–Related Frameworks provides essential background information and prepares teachers to integrate Workforce Skills into their instruction.

Below are the links to the four Frameworks as well as two comparison documents: these documents include a single chart that summarizes all four Frameworks and a comparison chart that explores similarities among the Frameworks.

Research Studies

Holzer, H.J. and Lerman, R. I. (2009) The Future of Middle–Skill Jobs. Center on Children and Families, Brief # 41. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/02_middle_skill_jobs_holzer.pdf
02_middle_skill_jobs_holzer/02_middle_skill_jobs_holzer.pdf.
This brief reviews past and current trends in the distribution of jobs and wages to predict likely trends in supply and demand for workers with different levels of education and training over the next decade and beyond.

Purcell-Gates, V., Degener, S., Jacobson, E., & Soler, M. (2001, April). Taking literacy skills home. Focus on Basics, 4D, 19-22. Retrieved August 24, 2016 from http://www.ncsall.net/index.php@id=286.html

Contextualizing Workforce Skills

Gillespie, M. (2002). EFF research practice note 3: A contextualized approach to curriculum and instruction. Retrieved August 24, 2016, from http://eff.clee.utk.edu/PDF/03research-practice.pdf
online_publications.htm

Chisman, F. (2009). Expanding Horizons: Pacesetters in adult education for work. Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy. Retrieved July 2009, from http://www.caalusa.org/Expanding.pdf

Gatta, M., Boushey, H., & Appelbaum, E. (2007, May-June). High-touch and here-to-stay: Future skills demands in low wage service occupations. Paper commissioned for workshop by the National Academies Center for Education on Research Evidence Related to Future Skills Demands, Washington, DC. Retrieved August 24, 2016 from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0038038509340735 

Program Implementation

Coates, D. E. (2006). People skills training: Are you getting a return on your investment? Performance Support Systems, Inc. Retrieved February 9, 2010, from http://www.2020insight.net/Docs4/PeopleSkills.pdf

Labor Market Statistics

California Employment Development Department. California occupational guides. Retrieved August 24, 2016, from http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/OccGuides/
FastGrowingOcc.aspx?Geography=0601000000

Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015). Occupational Outlook Handbook, Fastest Growing Occupations. Retrieved August 24, 2016, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/fastest-growing.htm
 

Program Infrastructure Supports

This page provides several resources to assist administrators who seek basic information on program infrastructure support for successful career pathways programs.

Case Studies and Manuals

  • ABE Career Connections: A Manual for Integrating Adult Basic Education into Career Pathways

    This manual reports on the experience of five sites that participated in a national demonstration project from 2006–2010 to align basic skills education with existing partnership programs linked to local industries. 

  • Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD)

    Established in 1979, CORD is a national nonprofit organization that has created educational tools and innovative programs aimed at empowering faculty and preparing students for greater success in careers and higher education.

  • Funding Career Pathways and Career Pathway Bridges: A Federal Policy Toolkit for States

    This resource is a federal policy toolkit designed to assist interagency teams in identifying and using federal resources to support career pathways and bridges for out-of-school youths and adults.

Integrated Education and Training (IET)

Integrated Education and Training refers to a model of education that is designed to boost participants' educational and career advancement as a result of participants' receiving both technical and basic skills training during the same period of enrollment. There are four common models of implementing IET, including:

  • Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST, a.k.a. Co-Teaching)
  • Alternating Teachers
  • Cluster-Vocational English as a Second Language (VESL) or Cluster-Vocational Adult Basic Education (VABE), and
  • VESL- or VABE-Specific.

Integrated Education and Training (IET) Research Brief: https://calpro-online.org/resource/calpro-research-brief-14-integrated-education-and-training-iet

This research brief discusses IET and its benefits and also outlines four common models of implementation.

More In-Depth Study of IET:

Facilitated Professional Learning

In these CALPRO trainings, members work in agency-based teams of educators and agency administrators through the process of developing plans for implementing one of the above four IET implementation models. This training is open to eligible teams of one administrator and two teachers, including a basic skills instructor and a technical skills instructor.

Available in two formats:

Partnerships 

National Institute for Literacy, Washington, D.C. 20006. Partnering with Employers to Promote Job – Advancement for Low–Skill Individuals.

http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/PartneringWEmployers2010.pdf

Relevant to adult school administrators are the discussions in this 2010 report of the community college experiences in partnering with businesses to provide job–related training to skilled adult employees.

Employment Development Department (EDD)

http://www.edd.ca.gov/Jobs_and_Training/

The Jobs and Training section of EDD’s Website provides information about EDD partners and training centers by county. Adult education administrators can help increase adult education visibility by ensuring that their agencies are listed as EDD partners, when appropriate.

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Unit of the California Department of Education 

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/  

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Unit of the California Department of Education coordinates CTE through its county–wide meetings for all CTE stakeholders who partner to create a system of CTE throughout the county. The CTE unit also works directly with school districts and community colleges alike to establish plans for sequences of coursework and career pathways for learners. Depending on the strand, sequences of classes that branch from adult education to county offices of education and community colleges may be relatively straightforward to create, once partnerships are established.

Skill Development

Soares, L. (2011) Delivering Innovation Economy Skills While Wisely Using Public Funds. Center for American Progress https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2011/03/pdf/workforce_development.pdf 

This article discusses the efforts needed to prepare students to compete in a 21st-century economy.