Adult Education and Career Tech Ed Partner Together to Increase Labor Pool

Bridge starts with Outreach and Recruitment  Targeted ABE/GED/ ESL/ High School Credit students interested in healthcare careers  Assessed TABE scores of current students to see if 9.0 or higher in Reading and Math  Included current GED/Adult Ed/High School students, recent grads and appropriate TANF recipients  Advertised during pre-semester orientations and on adult education Facebook page  Distributed flyer describing program and related careers during transition visits to adult education classrooms

The Required Information Session  8 information sessions, 37 students signed up  Bridge Program overview and expectations  PowerPoint on Healthcare Bridge  Included YouTube Healthcare videos to demonstrate “a day in the life”  Labor Market Information handout  Interested students required to complete an application/information sheet  Included time for Q & A, and had to be ready with the A’s!

Contextualized Instruction  In addition to Adult Ed classes, the Healthcare Bridge offered 100% contextualized instruction  Curriculum consisted of career awareness, technical writing, math for healthcare providers, and medical terminology.  The technical writing, math and medical terminology presented were at college level, but also assisted with GED 2014 preparation.

Career Development  Involved Adult Education, Corporate & Community Services, and Career Services staff:  Adult education staff started the career development with real-life information on healthcare careers  Corporate and Community Services brought in area employers and CCS staff to discuss careers, employer expectations, education/training requirements, etc. as the transition to the ICAPS occurred.  JJC Career Services staff are working on resume development, interviewing skills, etc.

 College Transition Specialist welcomed students on first day with backpacks filled with school supplies bearing JJC’s logo so they would immediately identify themselves as college students A picture’s worth a thousand words…we are college students with the tools to succeed, so… Transition Services

There’s NO looking back! Transition Services

 All students received assistance completing an online application to JJC  Students were exposed to the many support services available at JJC  Students researched majors and programs at JJC related to healthcare  The Coordinator for the CNA program provided an overview, hosted a Q & A session, a tour, and advising session for students.  Students received assistance registering for college classes.

Partnerships:  Adult Education could not have had a “Super Bridge” without the partnership with staff and faculty of the Corporate and Community Services division!  Perkins funding / partnership with CTE:  $10,000 was budgeted for Adult Education in FY’15 to pay for instructional material for the bridge program  We had a very strong team of internal partners  Adult Education staff and instructors  Corporate & Community Services (Perkins/CTE)  VP for Academic Affairs  Dean of Nursing, Allied Health and Emergency Medicine  Dean of CTE (Perkins)  Dean of Liberal Arts

Competition breeds SUCCESS!  We built our AO/ICAPS program with the already successful students on our bridge!  Our Health Care “Super Bridge” began with 16 students enrolled  9 GED/Basic Skills (including 3 TANF)  6 Early School Leaver Transition (high school credit)  1 English as a Second Language  Students were told that they are their own competition for seats in the CNA class  15 out of 16 students (93.75%) successfully completed the bridge and are registered for the AO/ICAPS program which began in May.  9 out of 13 students (69.23%) have earned their GED or high school diploma. (2 entered with a high school diploma but skills deficiencies.)  11 out of 15 students (73.33%) are continuing with the ICAPS program.  7 out of 7 students (100%) passed their State of Illinois CNA exam.

What is/are the student “takeaways”? Confidence! Readiness for the Certificate of Completion for the Nurse Assistance training Reading/Writing/Math Skills $1,008 tuition waived per person for the initial CNA course Confidence! Preparation for the GED 2014 Opportunity to enter a career field with family sustaining wages, high employment demand, and advancement opportunities Did we mention CONFIDENCE!? (Students & Instructors!) Successes

Challenges  Developing a group of students who are truly interested in healthcare  Need to be “real”  Don’t sell students on potential earnings alone!  Image – Debunking the Adult Ed. Myth  Funding required to scale up  Programs not always Pell eligible  Curriculum & Course approvals can take time  Team teaching  Length of program  Cohorts, the good, the bad, and the ugly

Bridge to ICAPS Process:  We began by offering a “super bridge” in health care professions which included Math for Health Care professionals, Medical Terminology (non-credit), and Career Exploration/Employment Readiness Skills and Technical Writing Skills  Students were selected based on an application, TABE scores, class attendance (GED, high school credit, ESLTP, ESL)  Students were later informed that successful completion of the bridge program could lead directly to the college’s CNA program, certification, employment, and/or a host of health care pathways  We built our AO/ICAPS program with the already successful students on our bridge!

Policy changes on the horizon?  JJC (VP Academic Affairs, Dean of Nursing & Allied Health) agreed to waive the CNA tuition for successful bridge participants --- We are hoping that this becomes policy for transitioning students  Working with Financial Aid Office in relation to Ability to Benefit  WIOA

Early lessons learned? Successes: Set standards for students to meet (TABE/CASAS scores, attendance levels, etc.) and those who are on the edge will work hard to gain access to the program --- IF it is in a career field that they are interested in…SO Make sure you are serving students who are interested in the career field you are offering! We started the AO/ICAPS year thinking we would offer a manufacturing program, beginning with welding --- WRONG!...SO When you are wrong, be willing to rethink your plan, look at what students are telling you (surveys, etc.) and at several areas with employment demand…SO You won’t have to look too hard or long to find your students! Student supports (career navigator/case manager/transition specialist) are essential to smooth operations!

How to Reach Us!  Emilie McCallister Director, Adult Education and Literacy (815)  Michelle Lyman Transition Specialist (815)  Amy Murphy Director, Corporate & Community Services (815)