Building Adult Basic Skills Education: Getting Access to Funds and Partners
New Skills for Changing Jobs
The workplace is changing. At one time, many workers had one job for their entire work life. Today, few workers can expect to stay with the same employer for the duration of their work life. New technology and global markets are changing work. New skills are often required not only to perform new work processes and succeed in new work systems but also to access training itself.
A
worker who has been out of school for many years may need a brush up on
reading or math to get the most out of training. Some workers may have
dropped out of high school before graduation was a requirement for making
a good wage in manufacturing, construction, or other industries. Often,
the basic skills that have served workers for years are no longer adequate
for the new world of work. In addition, many new immigrants need English
language skills to earn family-sustaining wages. For all these reasons
and more, basic skills education is an important component of workplace
education and training.
Basic skills are more than just reading, writing, and mathematics. Many basic skills programs include communication skills, such as English for Speakers of Other Languages – ESOL (sometimes also known as English as a Second Language – ESL). Reasoning and problem solving are also part of the basics. Many programs include tech-nology skills, such as computer and Internet use, as a component of basic skills training.
Unions and joint labor-management programs have invested hundreds of millions of dollars of negotiated funds in workplace basic skills. Their programs are among the best and most comprehensive in the country. Some have successfully leveraged their negotiated funds to help win public funding for basic skills training. In this action brief, we will summarize the major public funding sources for basic skills with suggestions for successful partnerships between the public sector and unions and joint labor-management private-sector programs.