New State Report Calls for Greater Emphasis on Workplace-based Adult Education

Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board report on adult basic education finds that greater coordination and focus needed to help bay state’s working adults achieve economic success.

Report August 2008

LAWRENCE—Wednesday, September 10, 2008— Today, the Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board (MWIB) issued a report that calls for strengthening the capacity of Adult Basic Education and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ABE/ESOL) to help more working adults in the Bay State find and retain employment and gain economic security. The report finds that too few working adults are able to access the basic skills and education training needed in today’s global economy.

The findings were announced at the MWIB meeting in Lawrence attended by Governor Deval Patrick and Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Suzanne M. Bump. “Tens of thousands of working adults are being left behind in today’s global economy because they have not been able to access workplace education that will provide them with new skills that can help them move up the economic ladder,” said Governor Patrick. “We must take a comprehensive approach that engages state, regional and local partners and providers to educate and train working adults.”

Secretary Bump, whose office oversees the Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board noted, “We know that adult literacy and basic education are absolutely essential to a person’s ability to earn a decent wage. We must create a better framework for providing adult-basic education and training that ensures working adults can get the training they need, and do so without having to confront countless barriers, which for too long has been the case.”

Recommendations from the report include:

Creation of a coordinated body with state level policy making authority to address implementation of the following tasks.
Create a dedicated fund for workplace education.
Increase capacity development for the field.
Improve linkages to post-secondary education.
Support educational counseling, job coaching and transitioning counseling.
Increase employer participation for investment in adult basic education.

This report, which compliments the Patrick Administration’s Readiness Task Force report, is based on review of all current state workplace education program and resources. Findings show that less than five percent (or about $1.5 million) of the Commonwealth’s ABE/ESOL resources are available for workplace-based education. In addition, workplace-based education resources are disbursed among several distinct programs with different emphases, administrative requirements and schedules. Moreover, a significant portion of the workplace education resources do not adequately serve workers employed in today’s economy.

"In today's global economy, students need to strive to earn more than a high school diploma or GED to succeed," said Mitchell Chester, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. "The state's Adult Basic Education system is designed to ensure that its non-traditional students learn the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in college and in their careers. We are committed to working with our partners and stakeholders to make this happen."

“In this competitive national and global environment, the Commonwealth must take full advantage of the skills and talent of everyone,” said Jerry Rubin, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Vocational Service and Chair of the ABE/ESOL Committee. “For that reason, we are recommending reforms to our adult education and workforce development systems that can substantially improve basic skills and access to educational and economic opportunity for thousands of low-skilled adults. Creating a dedicated fund for workplace education and developing much stronger linkages between adult basic education, occupational training and post-secondary education will provide economic opportunity and help build Massachusetts’ economic competitiveness well into the future.”

The report also highlights the need to increase employer involvement and awareness of available workplace education resources. Despite softening in the national economy, which has resulted in some slowing of job growth in Massachusetts, thousands of jobs are going unfilled because of an existing skills gap between the skills workers have and the skills in demand by employers. As a result, a skilled workforce is viewed by a greater number of employers as a competitive advantage in today’s economy.

Patricia Williams, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at HarborOne Credit Union in Brockton, and a member of the Board’s ABE/ESOL committee commented, “With a workforce of over 300, we know first-hand about the challenges of recruiting and retaining qualified employees in our ever-growing multicultural society. This report should serve as a call to action to better coordinate our current resources to help the residents of Massachusetts who need to improve their basic skills and/or language skills to meet the needs of the workplace and their personal career goals. I firmly believe that these efforts are necessary if we are to remain competitive and our businesses and economy to remain productive.”

For a full copy of this report and information about the Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board, visit www.mass.gov/mwib.