National Council for Workforce Education 2014 Conference October 30, 2014 ~ Pittsburgh, PA National Council for Workforce Education 2014 Conference October 30, 2014 ~ Pittsburgh, PA. Advancing Prior Learning Assessment as an Acceleration Strategy Retraining the Gulf Coast Workforce Through IT Pathways Consortium

Welcome! Christian Lagarde, GCIT Grant Manager Ellen Hewett, Director National College Transition Network at World Education, Inc. Martha Claire Drysdale, Dean Career and Technical Education, Mississippi Delta Community College Dr. Gail Baldwin, Curriculum Specialist, Bossier Parish Community College, LA

GCIT OVERVIEW $14.9 million Round 2 TAACCCT Grant 9 schools Louisiana and Mississippi Cyber Security, Health Information Technology and Industrial Technology

Importance of PLA It’s in the SGA! (We had to do it p.39!) DOL and DOE Acceleration Recruitment Targeted Population – TAA and Veterans Leveraging the Round 1 in MS

System-wide Approach NCTN Role Values to guide work Strategies to employ Information to collect Questions to consider Collaborations to build

MS Corridor Consortium Round 1 TAACCCT Grant 8 Northwest MS Community College Northeast MS Community College Itawamba Community College East MS Community College Partnership Health Care Advanced Manufacturing Educational Attainment Minority Business Prior Learning Assessment

MS Corridor Consortium Success Fostered coordination between Workforce and CTE, credit and non-credit (e.g., development of challenge exams) Developed a regional pathway offering greater flexibility and mobility for student training. Allowed flexibility for displaced workers, incumbent workers, under-employed and unemployed. Piloted a career pathway and an alternate developmental studies pathway that can be implemented in other areas. Enhanced/updated existing programs and facilities. 9

Unintended Benefits All Corridor Consortium colleges have implemented internships in the pathway Various method for payments Job pass- industry recommend addition to the CAP program – Other source funding to prove sustainability. – GCIT builds upon challenge exam success

Faculty engagement Institutional policy change Areas of skills/knowledge assessed Lessons Developing Challenge Exams

GCIT Building on PLA Success June 2014 administered the Business Communication Challenge Exam to 20 GCIT students. 18 students passed the challenge exam and are eligible to receive college credit. 6 of these 18 students are Project Success students (Statewide Woman’s Grant). Funds paid their credit fees. This is so exciting….staff reported that the difference in the student achievement is the team teaching approach!

Ground Zero What if you have no policy? Can you do it? Who should you involve?

P L huh??? Do you know what PLA is? Poll your colleagues Research, research Make friends

Building Your Foundation Get the right team on the bus  Admissions  Financial aid  Registrar  CTE  ABE/GED  Public relations  VP of Instruction  Industry Prior Learning Assessment

MAKING THE SALE COST EFFICIENT RESOURCE MAPPING DEVELOP A MARKETING PLAN TAKE IT TO THE PEOPLE

Progress to Date Accomplishments Challenges Lessons

Questions? Comments?

Thank you! Christian Lagarde Ellen Hewett Martha Claire Drysdale Dr. Gail Baldwin