13A. Certification of Training Providers

What the Law Requires: During the first 18 months of WIA, post-secondary educational institutions and registered apprenticeship programs are automatically eligible as training providers. At the end of this period, all training providers must be certified as eligible training providers under procedures established by the state and implemented by the local workforce board. The Governor is required to seek comments on this process from business and labor organizations. Continued eligibility is determined by annual performance results which must be disclosed to workers seeking training through one-stop centers.

Labor’s Perspective: The certification process for training providers is vitally important if workers are to access training that leads to good jobs. The certification process should include the following elements:

• consultation with labor organizations who represent workers having skills in which training is proposed to assure training will lead to high wage jobs in demand occupations

• concurrence of the bargaining agent where a collective bargaining agreement is affected

• involvement of teachers’ unions in designing and delivering education and training

• adequate preparation of trainers before entering training

• entrance requirements that are appropriate to workers’ education and employment background

• written learning objectives that clearly convey what the trainer will be able to do after completing the course or program, including degree, certificate, licensure or other credentials

• orientation training on workplace rights and protections

• a program design that integrates basic skills and occupational skills

• curriculum that is relevant to getting and keeping a job in the occupation for which the worker is being prepared

• programs that build on what learners already know and allow them to proceed at their own pace

• software appropriate for adults and consistent with the learning objectives of the program and the individual.

• Instructors that:

• use teaching methods that are sensitive to adult learners and individual learning styles (e.g. auditory, visual and hands-on learning)

• promote active learning techniques (role-playing, small group discussions, learning by doing)

• emphasize "training for transfer" – teaching learners when to utilize specific approaches and techniques in a variety of real-life situations (as workers, union members, consumers, citizens, family members)

• have experience teaching in a workplace setting

• understand the skills workers use in jobs and personal lives

• have a clear understanding of the industry where training is targeted

• hold union membership

• are aware of and sensitive to cultural differences among learners

• approach learners as equals in the collaborative learning process

• incorporate workplace equipment and materials into training

• assure confidential assessments of each learner’s progress

• provide alternatives to standardized assessments, such as structured interviews, portfolio assessments, applied performance measures, etc.

• obtain learner feedback and evaluation of the instruction

• have a mechanism for training providers to continually update training to meet industry standards and learner needs

Verifiable, program-specific performance information such as:

• completion rate for all individuals participating in program conducted by the provider

• percentage of all individuals who obtain unsubsidized employment

• percentage of individuals who obtain unsubsidized employment in an occupation related to the program

• wages and benefits at placement in employment that guarantee self-sufficiency

• worker’s satisfaction with training