Workforce Skills Certificates: Enhancing Curriculum and Student Outcomes COABE 2007 National Conference March 27, 2007 Melissa Dayton, Adult Training and Development Network Dan Wann, Adult Education Professional Development Project

Contact Information  Melissa Dayton Adult Training and Development Network (CT)  Dan Wann Adult Education Professional Development Project (IN)

CT Young Adult Learner Initiative The goals:  Increase the involvement of young adults without a high school diploma with their own education  Develop a system of academic, support, and workforce preparation programs to ready these young adults for employment in the 21st Century Connecticut State Department of Education

CT Young Adult Learner Initiative Young Adult Learner Enhanced Academics Comprehensive Support Services Workforce Preparation Diploma and Workforce Skills Certificate Post-Secondary Education Employment Connecticut State Department of Education

YAL Workforce Preparation Young Adult Learner Enhanced Academics Comprehensive Support Services Workforce Preparation Career exploration Work-based learning experience Workforce Skills Certification System

Certificate Program Elements  Certification standards and expectations  Preparation pathway: assessment and curriculum  Connection to world of work: information, assessment, experience  Employer involvement: collaboration and endorsement

CASAS Workforce Skills Certification System  Skill areas Reading Math Problem Solving Critical Thinking  Skill levels High Secondary Education  Transferable across occupations and industries  Appraisal and pre/post assessments

Reading Competencies  Comprehend, explain, and analyze information from a variety of works, including primary source materials and professional journals  Use context clues and higher order processes to interpret meaning of written material  Interpret job-related documents such as spreadsheets, flow charts, signs, diagrams

Math Competencies  Perform all basic math functions with whole numbers, decimals, and fractions  Interpret and solve simple algebraic equations, tables, and graphs and can develop own tables and graphs  Use math in business transactions

Critical Thinking Competencies  Evaluate situations to provide customer service  Use observations to monitor and improve production  Demonstrate effective management of project resources  Identify factors involved in making decisions, based on job description  Use inductive and deductive reasoning to carry out company policies

Problem Solving Competencies  Identify problem by analyzing customer service complaints  Identify solutions to production quality problems  Implement a plan to reduce safety incidents  Evaluate results of revised hazardous materials safety procedures  Modify solution to improve error reduction plan

Implementation Elements  Establish overall YAL program  Partner with employers  Integrate workplace skills into curriculum  Recruit students and promote buy-in  Monitor student progress  Provide work-based learning experience

Local Implementation New Haven New London Danbury Middletown Vernon EastConn

YAL Ongoing Program Development  Credit orientation  skills continuum  Employer contact  collaborative partnership  Work exposure  work experience  Add-on activities  integrated curriculum  Create student supports  support system

Indiana Department of Education Division of Adult Education Dan Wann, Professional Development Consultant Indiana Adult Education Workforce Education Project

1 –State Agency – IDOE 3 –Staff hired from outside ed. 15 –Workforce Districts 43 –Comprehensive programs 100 –Adult education providers funded through IDOE 91 –Counties with adult education classes (out of 92) A Proven Provider

English Works in Indiana has been selected as one of six projects nationally to be profiled as a model for High Impact Work-Based Learning Programs. OVAE / DOE An IDOE / DWD Partnership Project

 A competency based model which is industry driven and results oriented.  Overall goals: Improve the basic skills of Hoosier workers Build the capacity of adult education providers to deliver customized, on-site workplace basic skills Adult Education Works in Indiana Workforce Education Project Adult Education Works in Indiana Workforce Education Project

98 classes held in 60 companies with 1,074 students 594 workers (55%) advanced at least 1 grade level Average project cost was $9,500 Average training investment per worker was $ educators were trained to provide workplace education 52 unemployed/dislocated workers found jobs 56 workers obtained GED 34 workers entered post-secondary training Main industries served were manufacturing, agriculture, hospitality/tourism and transportation/logistics. Workplace Education Outcomes

Workplace Education ROI The information below focuses on the 232 dislocated workers served in 8 of the 60 total workplace projects. Occupational/Employment Outcomes: ~ Obtained Employment: 52 Estimated Dollars Saved or Earned: Students Finding Jobs $578,656* Increased Tax Revenue $115,731** Total Dislocated Worker Savings $694,387 *Figure obtained by multiplying the number of students obtaining a job times the $5.35 hourly minimum wage times 40 hours/week times 52 weeks. **Figure obtained by multiplying value of unemployed students finding jobs times 20%.

Workplace Education ROI  According to the 2000 U.S. Census, a worker age with no diploma earns an average income of $24,256 per year; a high school graduate earns an average income of $28,445 per year. Assuming that there is an increased annual earning potential of $4,189 with a diploma, the estimated value of 56 GEDs attained to Indiana is $234,584.

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Shared Themes in CT and IN  Planning within program context  Developmental, step-at-a-time process  Needs of target population  Marketing to employers and students  Curriculum integration  Ongoing professional development  Persistent leadership