TAC MAKING LEARNING COUNT: PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENTS PATHWAYS TO APPRENTICESHIP OCTOBER 24, 2012 PRESENTED BY: HOLLY MOORE & LAUREN HADLEY SOUTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE 1

Growing numbers as they come home: – 523,344 in 2007 – 819,281 in 2010: a 56% increase ( U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) Student Veterans on the Rise American Council on Education: Military Service Members and Veterans in Higher Education

Who Are Student Veterans? Source: American Council on Education: Military Service Members and Veterans in Higher Education Younger than veterans in general, but older than traditional undergraduates

More likely to be: – First generation college students – Married – Have at least one dependent Veteran Students are: Source: American Council on Education: Military Service Members and Veterans in Higher Education

Some lingering issues around the educational benefits themselves Many colleges and universities are just beginning to focus on veterans What’s missing from the larger picture: career and education advising for veterans 5 Findings

Challenges Military – civilian – student - apprentice Connect while active - online Access benefits – change status From Mission focus to future career explore, training opportunities, employment Family Dynamics – renegotiate new roles Building a new support system

Labor market information Career pathways Prior Learning Assessment Navigating higher education and apprenticeship How to select the right school and right program 7 Career and Education Advising

Seattle’s Top Employing Industries: Trade, Transportation, and Utilities Government Professional and Business Services Education and Health Services Leisure and Hospitality WA Promoting Growth for these “Key Industries” : Workforce Development Manufacturing Maritime Life Sciences Information and Communication Technologies Growing Industries & Jobs in Seattle 8 Sources: The Greater Seattle Datasheet, City of Seattle, Office of Intergovernmental Relations via Seattle Office of Economic Development Key Industries

P rior L earning A ssessment is a process for evaluating knowledge and skills in order to award college credit or advanced placement (RSI) for learning from: On-the-job learning Corporate training Independent study Military Service Volunteer service One Response: PLA 9

PLA Methods  Standardized exams Advanced Placement (AP) College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Excelsior College Exams DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)  Challenge exams  Individual student portfolios  Evaluation of non-college training Corporate or military training  Evaluation of non-credit instruction 10

11 PLA Takes Many Forms Military transcript ACE recommended credit Standardized tests Student Portfolio College and Apprenticeship Credit

What is a Portfolio? A formal, written communication describing, illustrating, and documenting what a student has learned – and requesting college credit. Typical components (may vary from school to school): Identification of prior learning- List and describe learning experiences Essay or narrative- Describe goals and reasons for seeking credit for prior learning; demonstrate how prior learning relates to education goals Documentation of knowledge and skills 12

Standards of Quality Credit or its equivalent should be awarded only for learning, and not for experience Credit awards and competence levels must be made by appropriate subject matter and academic or credentialing experts 13

Research Findings on the Value of PLA 14

CAEL’s Fueling the Race Research The Study: 48-institution study of PLA and academic outcomes (funded by Lumina Foundation for Education) 62,475 total adult students in our sample (adult = age 25 or older) 15,594 (25%) had earned PLA credit between 2001 and Council for Adult and Experiential Learning 2011

CAEL’s PLA Research Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success, CAEL, March Council for Adult and Experiential Learning 2011 Graduation Rates

Money Saver An adult student who earns 15 credits from PLA applied to a degree saves $1605 to $6,000 on tuition costs. 17

CAEL’s PLA Research Graduation Rates: PLA students in this study had better graduation rates than non-PLA students: regardless of institutional size, level (two-year or four- year) or control (private for-profit, non-profit, or public) regardless of the individual student’s academic ability or grade point average regardless of the individual student’s age, gender, or race/ethnicity regardless of whether or not the individual student receives financial aid 18

Persistence: PLA students have higher rates of persistence compared with non-PLA students Time to Degree Savings: Bachelor’s degrees: between 2.5 and 10.1 months Associate’s degrees: between 1.5 and 4.5 months 19 CAEL’s PLA Research

Boots on the Ground: A Developing Program with IBEW 20

Fast Track Veterans into Family Wage Careers Direct and Advanced Placement Optimize Earned Benefits Major Components

Pre-screen applicants (World of Work Inventory & Employment Readiness Scale) Crosswalk and PLA to accelerate process Address challenges before PLA course begins Utilize all Partners Making it Work

IBEW Local 46

College Intake – King County and Employers Register & Assess 80 hours - re-orientation, Skill update, Interviews Industrial Manufacturing Academy Applied Learning, Online 24 college credits Trades Rotation Tours/Shadow Specialization 80 hours Internship, Apprenticeship, OJL, Coursework Skill refinement (Welding, Composites, Electrical, HVAC, Maritime, etc.) Aerospace Joint Apprentice Committee Industrial Manufacturing Academy I-BEST, Math

Crosswalk JST (Joint Services Transcript) with degree and apprenticeship outcomes Commissioner approved training Expand to other programs Use PLA to reduce related supplemental instruction (RSI) and overall length Degree progression – Bachelors' (online) Future Directions

Questions & Discussion 26

Holly Moore Georgetown/South Seattle Community College Lauren Hadley Georgetown/South Seattle Community College 27