LINCS Resources

The federal Workforce Investment and Innovation Act (WIOA) has changed the landscape of adult education, focusing the field squarely on workforce development outcomes and programming that supports the integration of education and training (IET) and career pathways. This guide emerged from efforts to learn how eight adult education programs around the country have been integrating education and training. Many of these programs are making adjustments to conform to WIOA requirements and activities; others are using WIOA as an opportunity to forge new workforce collaborations. Across the board, there is much to learn from what they are doing effectively, what hasn’t worked well, and what they are thinking about going forward. Despite their wide range of contexts, all IET programs face some common realities. One is that the world of work is constantly evolving. New jobs require updated technological skills and a comfort with digital tools; employers are modernizing with green technologies and practices; and industries may rise, fall, or relocate. IET programs need to be nimble in responding to these realities. Illustrated in this guide are programs that continue to revamp their services, employ sectoral approaches that focus on technical skills that transfer across job categories, or rotate their job trainings so that they don’t over-saturate the market with workers who are then left without strong employment options. Another universal reality for IET programs is that this integration of services requires building relationships with and engaging new partners, and collaborating in new ways. The expanded team involved in such a collaboration needs to figure out how to work together and best utilize the strengths of each partner. The profiles in this guide offer a wide array of approaches both in who the adult education programs partner with (e.g. career and technical education (CTE) departments within a college or technical high school, WIOA-authorized training providers, or in-house technical training instructors) and how they collaborate in those partnerships to develop an integrated curriculum. The programs profiled are:

• Asian-American Civic Association (Boston, MA)
• Community Action, Inc. of Central Texas (Austin, TX)
• Eastern Aroostook Adult and Community Education (Caribou, ME)
• Genesis Center (Providence, RI)
• Johnson County Community College (Johnson County, KS)
• LaGuardia Community College (Queens, NY)
• Northeast Mississippi Community College (Booneville, MS)
• Southwest Regional Adult and Continuing Education (Southwest VA)

Integrated Education and Training (IET) is a research-proven educational practice based in adult learning theory. The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the Texas Workforce Commission conducted a national survey of adult education providers to learn more about IET models, funding mechanisms, and partnerships across the country. Two hundred sixty-five people from 43 states took the survey, which consisted of 31 questions. All results are included in the appendix. Highlighted results from the survey include:

• Twenty-one percent had not yet started IET programming, while 42% have been doing IET for more than two years. Only 69% feel certain that their program meets all of the IET requirements.
• The majority of survey respondents are implementing or planning IET with Integrated English Language Civics Education (IELCE), WIOA section 243 funds. Twenty-nine percent offer IET outside of section 243 funds, demonstrating a willingness to provide IET with general funds.
• Many types of organizations provide the workforce training component: 39% are community and technical colleges, 14% are local workforce one-stop contractors, and 13% are local school districts.
• Health care occupations dominate IET program offerings—over half of all IET programs reported preparing students for the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) credential.
• Adult educators are targeting industries in multiple high-demand areas. Fifty-six percent offer IET programs in in-demand industries as defined by local workforce development boards, while 17% get their industry information from community and technical colleges.
• Forty-one percent of IET programs use state grant funds for the workforce training component, while 37% are designed to utilize federal financial aid.
• Forth-two percent of respondents didn’t know if their IET program is part of their state’s Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL). WIOA title I Adult and Dislocated Worker funds can be used to fund adult education and literacy services when bundled in an IET model

This resource provides a clear process for evaluating financial education curricula. There are suggestions and examples for setting goals and thinking about the characteristics and prior knowledge of students. Readers are advised to give consideration to intended audience of the curriculum, topics covered, and outcomes or competencies that students will achieve through the curriculum. There is also a section that explains each category of the Financial Education Curriculum Evaluation Worksheet which can be used to compare various financial literacy curricula.

The United States Department of Labor projects that health care will continue to experience tremendous job growth over the next decade. This growth provides an opportunity for adult learners to enter into a stable career with opportunities for advancement. Many of these high-demand jobs require less than two years of professional training. This teacher’s guide is a companion to Health Careers: A Guide to Finding Entry-Level Jobs in Health Care. The curriculum is targeted to ESOL and ABE students at an intermediate or above level and is intended to provide a general overview of career information and resources. It is focused on four career sectors that encompass a wide-range of positions with a variety of job duties and responsibilities.: 1) patient care; 2) imaging and diagnostics; 3) health information and records (informatics); and 4) administrative and support services. The guide includes teaching suggestions, lessons and activities that will help increase student knowledge about health careers. Instructors do not need to be an expert in health careers to teach this curriculum because their role is to provide students with a general understanding of the types of health careers they can pursue and the career resources and educational opportunities available in their community. Organizations such as Job Corps, local school district adult education programs, career and technical centers and state/community colleges often provide students with individual career planning assistance.

Postsecondary credentials are becoming the currency for economic mobility in the American economy. Sixty-five percent of all jobs in the United States will require a postsecondary degree or credential by 2020, but at the current rate that postsecondary institutions are awarding degrees, the United States is at risk to fall short by 5 million workers. This report identifies eight policy recommendations aimed at addressing that shortfall. These recommendations focus specifically on opportunity youth, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, and immigrants.

• Political Leadership and Commitment. Make improving postsecondary outcomes for underrepresented and underserved populations a state priority
• Data Systems Capacity and Use. Examine enrollment, retention, and completion data for immigrants, justice-involved individuals, opportunity youth, and other underserved populations to identify access and achievement gaps and set improvement targets.
• Strong On-Ramps. Encourage or require the development of stronger on-ramps into postsecondary education from the institutions, organizations, and systems that work with underserved populations.
• Ongoing Intensive Student Supports. Encourage or require ongoing, intensive supports, including transition counseling, career advising, academic advising, and non-academic support designed to address the unique needs of underrepresented populations.
• Comprehensive Financial Aid. Make postsecondary education more affordable for underserved populations by ensuring access to in-state tuition, financial aid and scholarships, public benefits, and emergency funds.
• Robust Career Pathways. Create robust career pathways with multiple exit and entry points as well as flexible learning options that help underserved populations balance work obligations and educational goals.
• Braided Funding. Promote and facilitate the use of braided funding to increase the resources available for underserved populations.
• Capacity Building and Continuous Improvement. Build the capacity of colleges and partner organizations to test and scale innovations for improving postsecondary success for underserved populations.

The Florida Literacy Coalition Health Careers Guide is a targeted resource for adult learners interested in exploring the wide range of career opportunities in health care. Written in plain language, the guide is suitable for learners at a 5th grade reading level or higher as well as for English language learners at an intermediate level or higher. The guide focuses on careers requiring two years or less of training. Providing beneficial information about preparing for a health career, it can be used as a curriculum or a stand-alone resource for students. In addition to providing job skill and training resources, the guide highlights 30 health occupations in four areas: 1) patient care, 2) imaging and diagnostics, 3) administration and support services, and 4) health information and records.

This article overviews four open access online articles that address teaching digital literacy and digital problem solving to adult learners. The four authors--Harris, Quann, Rosen, Vanek--of the articles reviewed, emphasize the need for adult digital literacy instruction that moves beyond teaching adults basic literacy skills so that they leaner skills that are relevant to college and career settings.  Furthering this idea, each article reviewed identifies the need for adult learners to learn how to apply digital skills across a wider set of experiences than testing, drill and practice activities. They also all agree that tasks for teaching digital problem solving should be relevant to learners’ needs and contexts for use outside of the classroom. The reviewers identify key ideas, tips, and strategies for providing adult learners a more robust digital literacy learning experience.  They highlight that basic digital literacy skills can be learned in the context of digital problem solving rather than as gatekeeping skills for more advanced skills, including four categories in the English language learner classroom: basic skills, creating and communicating digitally, finding and evaluating information online, and problem solving in technology rich environments. The reviewers also touch on the role of the teacher, and which tools to use when teaching digital literacy skills. The reviewers propose that transformative learning is more likely to occur when basic skills are are situated in authentic digital problem solving activities, such as locating resources, navigating, creating, and communicating while completing real world learner-centered activities.