National Council for Workforce Education

Environmental Scan: Allied Health Occupations in the Bay Area

darrahle — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 16:57:41 +0000

The San Francisco Bay and Greater Silicon Valley Centers of Excellence in collaboration with research and funding partners studied allied health occupations in the 11-county San Francisco Bay Area. The healthcare sector is one of the largest industries in the region, employing over 342,000 individuals in hundreds of occupations. This report provides an industry overview and reviews trends driving the growth of the healthcare sector such as population growth, an aging population and healthcare reform legislation.
A workforce survey was conducted with employers to better understand the projected demand for allied health occupations and the workforce needs of employers. The research objectives of this survey were to:

Estimate the current number and size of firms, as well as geographic concentration
Project future job growth and replacements of existing workers over the next 12 months for ten key occupations
Identify employer needs and challenges for hiring and training employees
Identify career ladders and lattices
Identify industry interest in accessing community college education and training programs

Center of Excellence: San Francisco Bay Area
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A Sharper Focus on Technical Workers

darrahle — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:10:30 +0000

A new report released today by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), A Sharper Focus on Technical Workers: How to Educate and Train for a Global Economy, provides a model for how states can work collaboratively with industry, community colleges and each other to provide opportunities for workers to build their skills and ensure America’s future economic security and prosperity.

The report outlines actions governors can take to shape a new future for job training in a way that will nurture the largest and fastest-growing industries, including:

Champion the importance of technical education and technical work to economic competitiveness and worker prosperity;
Focus first on the industrial sectors with the greatest economic impact;
Use state spending to encourage community colleges to engage in collaboration and innovation;
Develop multi-state partnerships focused on providing consistent, high-quality, industry-valued training; and
Require comprehensive outcome data to assess students’ skills and credentials gained, hold educational institutions accountable and inform policymakers.

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
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Recession Puts Michigan’s Focus on Adult Ed Reforms

darrahle — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 22:46:05 +0000

Michigan’s ongoing recession has laid bare a problem that was easier to overlook in the boom times of the late 1990s. Nearly 700,000 of the state’s working-age adults don’t have a high school diploma or GED certificate. Many of those who do nonetheless lack the basic skills a high school graduate is supposed to have. And the economy is leaving them behind.

The state’s elected officials left them behind years ago. In 2001, Michigan’s adult education programs, which include adult basic education, GED preparation and English as a second language, got $80 million from the state. This year, it was $22 million. Enrollment has fallen by half, hitting a low of 28,243 last year. Programs have contracted, shut their doors.

Matthew Miller Lansing State Journal
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Building Effective Green Energy Programs in Community Colleges

darrahle — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:55:51 +0000

Many green economy advocates believe that green jobs training can be part of career pathways that help move unemployed and disconnected individuals—who are often low-skilled—from entry-level positions into higher-skilled, higher-paying jobs. But amidst all the excitement and funding, even those colleges at the forefront of green energy education have been struggling to build green workforce development programs as a result of three factors: 1) the state of the U.S. economy,2) the emerging nature of the green sector economy, and 3) the focus placed by the federal government on educating low-income and low-skilled individuals for this emerging sector in its training grants.

Maureen R. Bozell, Senior Associate
Cynthia D. Liston, Senior Consultant
Workforce Strategy Center
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Career and Technical Education Transfer Research Project – CA

darrahle — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:55:30 +0000

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Transfer Research Project aims to assess the state of transfer between community colleges and four-year institutions for CTE students (2/4 CTE transfer) and document factors that complicate and support such transfer. Recent studies conducted by several organizations and initiatives including the Public Policy Institute of California present the urgent need to close the gap between the growing number of positions that demand baccalaureate-level preparation and the number of individuals available to fill them. Without an increase in transfer for CTE students from community colleges to four-year institutions, California is likely to face serious workforce shortages in high-growth, high-demand sectors such as engineering, health care, computer and information systems, biotechnology and environmental sciences.

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Thriving in Challenging Times

darrahle — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:56:37 +0000

The publication’s title reflects an increasing awareness among American employers and business leaders of the critical role they must play in supporting successful education models in their local communities, particularly in challenging economic times.

Thriving in Challenging Times profiles 17 local and two statewide career pathways programs from across the U.S. by documenting the challenges, strategies, results, and business engagement each partnership has experienced. Featured industry sectors range from aerospace to healthcare to nuclear energy with business involvement ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations. Each program includes three essential elements for ensuring students are prepared for college and careers –secondary, postsecondary, and business/industry engagement components.

Produced by The Institute for a Competitive Workforce and
The National Careers Pathways Network
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The Developmental Education Initiative

darrahle — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 19:14:14 +0000

State policy can play a critical role in supporting the improvement of outcomes for underprepared students. States can create policy conditions that encourage the identification, dissemination, and implementation of strategies that improve outcomes for students who test into developmental education. They can provide incentives for institutions to test and refine bold new delivery and instructional models—and to scale up what works.

The Developmental Education Initiative builds on the foundation of Achieving the Dream, adapting it to the particular challenges associated with helping students in need of developmental education move efficiently and effectively toward their postsecondary credential goals. The framework specifies the levers that state policymakers have at their disposal to support more effective ways of changing the organization and delivery of developmental education—and public expectations of individual and institutional success.

Produced by Jobs for the Future and Achieving the Dream
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LEAP: Laney Educational After School Pathways

darrahle — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:53:56 +0000

Laney Community College
Oakland, CA

Program Description:
LEAP: Laney Educational/After-School Pathways is a career pathway certificate program that prepares students for work in after-school or youth development programs. The 12-14 unit program consists of 3 unique courses: Intro to Youth Development, Intro to Tutor Training, and Personal Wellness or Community Health, as well as foundation courses in math and English. Completion of the program sets the groundwork for students to continue their college education, work in teacher training programs or human services, or as instructional aides in local agencies. LEAP students have access to support services and local internships.

Program Partners:
Oakland Asian Students Educational Services (OASES), Bay Area Youth Agency Consortium (BAYAC) Americorps, Oakland Community After-School Alliance(OCASA), and California School-Age Consortium (CalSAC)

Program Outcomes:
On completing the certificate program, students will: 1. demonstrate readiness to work with K-8 students in math, English and other academic courses; 2. apply appropriate strategies for target populations and various learning and communication styles; 3. define personal and community wellness, and demonstrate ability to set wellness goals; 4. employ culturally appropriate practices as they apply to pedagogical themes, such as health, safety, tolerance and conflict resolution; 5. evaluate the needs and constraints of youth development programs, and develop a plan that will use time, facilities and human resources efficiently and effectively.

♦ Program website

For More Information Contact:
Donna Marie Wilson Dwilson@peralta.edu

The Bridge To A New Economy: Worker Training Fills The Gap

darrahle — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:55:56 +0000

As the economy recovers and begins generating jobs again, it is vital that workers have the skills they need to maximize opportunities. Many newly created jobs will be “middle skill” jobs such as nurses, welders, and database managers. These occupations require significant education and training beyond the high school level but not a four-year degree. Educating people to plug the gap and fill these middle-skill jobs is critical, especially for low-skill workers to take advantage of emerging job opportunities, and for
businesses to grow with the skilled workforce they need.

Armand Biroonak and Kermit Kaleba
The National Skills Coalition and Institute for America’s Future
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A New Approach to Career Navigation for Working Learners

darrahle — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:16:59 +0000

This paper details both the inadequacy of the career navigation assistance now available and why the United States needs a new approach. The first section describes the urgent need, which has been exacerbated by recent trends in the economy. The second section showcases promising models of career navigation that have emerged—created by community colleges, employers, labor unions, public workforce systems, and community-based organizations—but remain small boutique enterprises. The third section envisions a more robust national approach to career navigation services for working adults and explores both design principles and challenges. Finally, the paper recommends next steps and federal policy actions that would move us closer to achieving that vision.

Vickie Choitz, Louis Soares, and Rachel Pleasants
American Progress
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