successful strategies to build the skills of lowwage adults

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successful strategies to build the skills of
low-wage adults

• National Transitional Jobs Network Annual
  Conference
• April 2, 2008

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Presentation topics

• About CRP and research project
• Need for Middle-Skilled workers
• Barriers to college success for low-skilled
  adults
• Best practice strategies for engaging low-skilled
  adults in colleges
• Case studies from across country
• Stackable certificate framework
• Key program features for success
• How TJ programs can partner in programs

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About Community Research Partners

• CRP strengthens Ohio communities through data,
  information, and knowledge
• Unique non-profit research center
• Since 2000, have undertaken 150 community data,
  evaluation, and applied and policy research
  projects within and outside of central Ohio.
• Lead Ohio organization for Working Poor Families
  Project
• Convener of the Ohio Workforce Coalition
• Funding from the Joyce Foundation

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About the research

• Ohio General Assembly directed the Ohio Board of
  Regents to develop pre-college stackable
  certificates
• Provide a clear and accessible path for
  low-skilled adults to advance their education
• CRP asked to conduct research to identify
  national and Ohio models and best practices to
  inform the design of an Ohio stackable
  certificates program
• Reviewed literature and program models
• Interviewed experts, state agency officials, and
  program practitioners

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Research findings in brief

• Growing demand for workers with postsecondary
  education and training
• 1 year of postsecondary ed credential provides
  substantial wage gains for low-skilled adults
• Low-skilled adults face multiple barriers to
  college
• Leaky pipeline from ABE/ESL/GED to college
  credential
• Leaky pipeline from short-term job training to
  college
• Need for support services and counseling
• Programs bridge gap by linking basic academics
  to college-level technical coursework
• Career pathways from 6th grade reading/math
  levels to associates degree and beyond
• Create stackable occupational certificates that
  provide college credit recognized by employers
  qualify for higher wages

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Need for middle-skilled workers

• Employers have growing demand for skilled workers
• Half of all jobs require some education above
  high school but below a bachelors degree
• 38 of prime-age workers, 25-54, hold associates
  degree or higher
• Skill gap only filled by engaging low-skilled
  adults
• 41 of adults, age 25-54, have high school
  diploma or less
• 1-year of college occupational credential
  creates Tipping Point for low-skilled adults
• A measurable payoff for adults with high school
  degree or less
• 8,500 for ABE students
• 7,000 for ESL students
• 2,700 for GED holders
• Qualify for middle-skilled jobs

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The Challenge

• Need to improve education transitions and
  implement strategies to increase the number of
  adults who reach the Tipping Point and beyond
• What that means
• Breaking down barriers to college for low-skilled
  adults, including the hard-to-employ

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Barriers to education success for low-skilled
adults

• Low-literacy levels
• Lack of financial aid for non-credit courses
  using up financial aid on remedial
  courses/developmental ed.
• Personal barriers
• Lack of recognition for prior learning
• Lack of self-confidence
• Work schedules, transportation, child care
• It takes too long to see tangible benefits for
  students and employers
• The leaky educational pipeline

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The leaky education pipeline

• Adult basic education/ESL ? College credit
• Development education ? College credit
• Non-credit training ? For-credit college programs
• Some college ? College credential

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Best practices for bridging pipeline gaps how
curriculum is delivered

• Contextualized learning
• Math/English tailored to specific technical field
• Math example measurement for carpentry
• Accelerated learning
• Compressing course in less time or combined with
  another course
• Chunking
• Dividing degree into series of certificate
  programs
• Modularization
• Dividing course into series of mini-courses

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Best practices for bridging pipeline gaps
program models

• College Prep Bridge
• Math/English prep course for college entrance
• GED for ABE students or Pre-Dev Ed course for
  college enrollees
• Workforce bridge
• Math/English prep course technical training
• Sequential or concurrent
• Integrated Remediation
• Enhancing for-credit technical training with
  contextualized basic academics (math/English)
• Student Success
• Learning community, proactive advising, college
  success class

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Case Studies

• Washington I-BEST
• Contextualized Learning, Integrated Remediation,
  Student Success
• Kentucky Remediation Bridge Pilots
• Contextualized Learning, Modularization,
  Workforce Bridge, Integrated Remediation,
  Career Pathways, Student Success
• Southeast Arkansas College Fast Track
• Contextualized Accelerated Learning, Workforce
  Bridge, Career Pathways, Student Success
• Rhodes State College-OH Manufacturing Pathways
• Contextualized Learning, Chunking, Workforce
  Bridge, Career Pathways
• Cuyahoga Community College-OH Health Pathways
• Contextualized Learning, Workforce Bridge,
  Student Success

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Common design features for success

• Linking academic and workforce education
• Innovative curriculum development
• Cross-discipline faculty collaboration
• Professional development
• Student support services
• Non-traditional scheduling and curriculum
  delivery
• State funding (FTE, TANF funds, incentives) for
  administration, program development, and services
• State and institutional rule changes
  (articulation, transfer)

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Recommended framework for Stackable
Certificates

• Multiple providers ABE/ESL, career-technical
  centers, community colleges, CBOs, unions
• Employer input
• Progression of workforce bridges and integrated
  remediation to fill gaps and train workers
• Contextualize, accelerate basic and remedial ed
• Result in industry-recognized certificates
• Count toward college credit and lead to degrees
• Incorporate student success services
• Work readiness by doing
• Incentive funding

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Stackable Certificates Schematic

Two-year Degrees
TIPPING POINT for wage gains
Earns advanced certificate toward degree
granted one-year of college credit fully
remediated
Advanced Certificate One-year technical program
integrated with developmental or general
education
Learner requiring no more than one developmental
education for math and/or English
Skilled technical
Earns intermediate certificate granted college
credit improves academics
Intermediate Certificate Sequence of
for-credittechnical courses integrated with
developmental education
Learner requiring no more than two levels of
developmental education for math and/or English
Entry-level technical
Earns entry-level certificate, GED, and initial
college credit improves academics
Entry-level skilled
Entry-level Certificate Introductory technical
training integrated with relevant basic
education/ESL
Learner assessed above eighth grade level
functioning below GED
Academically prepared for technical training and
employment barriers removed
Prep Program Basic education/ESL course
contextualized with technical terminology and
skills and wraparound services
Learner assessed between a sixth and eighth grade
level in Math and/or English
Semi-skilled
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Building bridges for TJ participants

• Frame transitional jobs around career pathways
• Provide job opportunities in demand industries
  with career ladders
• Find out employer needs
• Provide career exploration/awareness services
• Put TJ participants on path to postsecondary
  occupational credential
• GED prep and/or short-term job training are
  inadequate alone
• Engage TJ participants in bridge programs that
  connect basic academics with college-level
  career-technical ed
• If bridge programs dont exist, help form them
• Partner with Adult Basic Education/ESL, community
  colleges, etc.
• Seek state and federal funding (WIA, TANF, FTE,
  etc.)

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For more information

• David Altstadt
• Senior Research Associate--Workforce Policy
• Community Research Partners
• 614-224-5917 x 103
• daltstadt_at_communityresearchpartners.org
• www.communityresearchpartners.org/workforce