Career Pathways for High-Demand Sectors

Abstract: WIOA key themes include career pathways, sector partnerships, and stronger connections between adult education and workforce. Our panel discusses these key themes through an initiative that is focused on individuals with low-literacy to engage in training and employment opportunities in high demand sectors of healthcare, manufacturing, construction, hospitality, and IT. There are 200,000 adults in Cleveland, Ohio, that have reading and math levels below 8th grade. They are excluded from enrolling in occupational training due to their low literacy levels. Many become disengaged because they are embarrassed or discouraged by attending traditional adult education classes. This issue led a group of adult education, workforce development, employers, and occupational training professionals to look for solutions to give more adults access to high demand employment and training opportunities. Contextualized curriculum was developed based on demand sector training programs and employment opportunities. The training programs were designed based on employers’ needs and hiring requirements. The panel will discuss the process, development, implementation, and piloting of the integrated education and training model.