Career Pathways: Nuts and Bolts as the Sole Provider

1. Career Pathways: Nuts and Bolts as the Sole Provider Brenda Schofield, Director Region 5 ESC Adult Education and Literacy

2. About us….. • Region 5 ESC Adult Education and Literacy: • Region 5 ESC has 30 years AEL experience in another Workforce Development Area; we achieved 100% completion of all performance measures each year that they have been measured. • We are the new sole provider and fiscal agent for the Southeast Texas Workforce Development Area. • We are building a new program entirely from scratch. • Our three counties consist of urban and rural areas. • Public transportation is available in only one area of the three counties. • We absolutely love what we do!

3. Our Goal: Establish Our Reputation with Students, Communities, and Colleges • Region 5 Education Service Center already has an excellent reputation in this tri-county area. • We must establish a good reputation and working relationship with the Southeast Texas Workforce Development Board and Workforce Solutions offices.

4. We must establish a good reputation with former and future AEL students so they will know that they will receive the services and help that they need. We receive lots of questions from potential students about whether or not teachers will help them in class, or whether or not they will have to “work on their own” in class. • We must establish a good reputation with the community in general, community organizations, community colleges, and other organizations and entities in the community. • We are achieving success in these areas so far, and we will continue to build our program and our reputation.

5. Getting Started: AEL & Career Pathways • Get the word out about your program: Issue press releases and communications; utilize social media; speak to groups, individuals, and partners. • Show enthusiasm for your program. • Tell about yourself and your program. • Talk about previous history and success in AEL. • Talk about future plans for the AEL and Career Pathways program. • Describe types of classes to be offered; Include locations of classes. • Remember to mention that classes are free. • Speak (or write) from the heart. Be real. Provide your own quotes. I like to talk about how this isn’t just a job to us, and how we have hearts for service to others. • Talk about what you can provide through community partnerships, such as devices for visual and hearing-impaired individuals, eyeglasses, childcare, etc. • Know the needs in your area and address them in your communications. • Enlist the aid of your partners to get the word out about your program.

6. Hire and Train the Right People • Hire highly qualified, enthusiastic staff with a heart for others; Don’t hire dull, boring instructors.  • Stress to applicants that the job requires flexibility and the ability to multi-task. • Hire a College and Career Transitions Counselor or Specialist. • Ask the community college VP of Workforce Development and your local Workforce Solutions specialist to speak at your initial staff development and at all new teacher trainings. • Assign mentors to new staff; Hire two teachers for every class when possible. • Let new staff shadow experienced staff before their first class, but after their initial staff training. • I give all staff my cell phone number, with instructions to call whenever they have a question, particularly after-hours. This is especially helpful to new staff who may be somewhat overwhelmed during the first few nights of registration, orientation, and class.

7. Attend Workforce Development Board Meetings and Form Relationships with Workforce Staff • Meet and get to know the leaders in your area; many of them will hold a seat on the Workforce Development Board, so be sure and attend the meetings. • The Workforce Development Board members, executive staff, and other Workforce Solutions staff need to know you personally, and you need to know them. • The Workforce Board and staff can provide a wealth of information, services, and good advice. • Stay up-to-date about things that are going on in your area by attending the WDB meetings. • I make sure that the Executive Director of the Southeast Texas Workforce Solutions knows that I want her and the Workforce Solutions staff to be happy with the programs that we are providing…and I sincerely mean it.

8. Maintain Communication with All Partners, Especially When Conducting Classes in Their Facilities • Keep all partners up-to-date of changes that might occur; share information on a timely basis. • Communicate ahead of time, any changes that might affect a partner’s schedules, facilities, or staff. • Ensure that partners are aware of your class schedules, contact information, etc. • Share the good things that are happening in your program, especially successes that occur as a result of classes that are held within your partners’ facilities or as a result of your partnership.

9. Ask for Help When You Need It • The Texas Workforce Commission provides fiscal and programmatic expertise; your program specialist will provide a speedy response to your questions. • Local Workforce Solutions offices, postsecondary education institutions, TCALL, TRAIN PD, local education service centers, your peers, and your fiscal agent can answer many questions, or they can guide you in the right direction. • If you’re not sure about something or you just need guidance……ASK. Chances are, you’ll find that other programs have the same questions.

10. Our PartnershipwithLamar Institute of TechnologyandLamar State Colleges

11. Our First Steps: • AEL director consulted with LIT staff during competitive grant writing phase. • Director spoke with LIT President after receiving grant award. • President set up meeting in his office and called together key staff; Attending the initial meeting were: • President of Lamar Institute of Technology • President of Lamar State College-Port Arthur • Vice President of Workforce Development for LIT • Dean of Instruction for LIT • AEL Director • AEL College and Career Transition Counselor

12. Benefits of Collaboration: What the AEL Program Can Do for LIT and Lamar Colleges • Provide free classes. • Provide cross-referral of students who will later transition to higher education. • Provide Transition and Career Pathways classes in addition to ABE, ASE, and ESL. • Attract more AEL students to the campus; create greater awareness of college services. • Eliminate anxiety of the adults who enter higher education; help them become comfortable in the college setting. • Referral source for students needing higher skill levels to enter Developmental Education (President stated that they lose many people in Developmental Education due to lack of educational skills required for success). • AEL is a big draw for the LEP families of current college students.

13. Benefits of Collaboration: What LIT and Lamar Postsecondary Institutions Can Do for AEL • Provide free classroom space, computers, and Internet at four sites in three counties • Provide cross-referral of students • Coordination for Transition and Career Pathways classes in addition to ABE, ASE, and ESL • Provide counseling for all needs • Provide guest speakers for classes • Provide GED testing centers at three of four locations • Link our AEL information to their website • Collaborate to pursue additional grants

14. Planning for the Logistics: • The top interest and aptitude surveys that we found through coordination with local colleges, ESCs, and school districts are Career Cruising,Kuder, and O*Net. • Also see http://www.texascaresonline.com/wowmenu.aspfor Texas Cares World of Work: Self-Assessment; Skills Best Match; Exploring Work; Career Clusters; Occupation Information. • Try to locate your Career Pathways classes on-site at the local community college. • Reserve college classroom space early; hopefully, as in our case, you will have to ask for additional space as your program grows. • Recruit existing students for your Career Pathways classes, and also individuals from the community who are not enrolled in AEL. This requires separate recruitment strategies. • Schedule your AEL and Career Pathways classes back-to-back for co-enrolled students if possible, or at times that are most convenient to your students.

15. Participate in campus and Workforce Solutions activities and events. This is great for the students, and it is good for your higher education and Workforce Solutions partners to see the AEL program encouraging participation. Example: LIT held a Hispanic Heritage Festival last Friday at the college. The college president and vice presidents were delighted that the students participated in the festival. • Ask Workforce Solutions staff and your college Workforce Development representative to speak to Career Pathways and AEL classes. • Utilize business and industry leaders to speak to students about specific occupation demands in the area, and the skills needed by the local industries for those specific occupations. • Schedule ongoing meetings with your higher education partners. • We are forming three county coalitions to ensure coordination, participation and input from all community partners.

16. The Dean of Instruction Helped Us in the Following Ways: • Reserved classrooms for classes after giving us numerous options • Coordinated parking passes for AEL students: She received permission for her office to duplicate and issue the parking passes because we had more students than the college originally anticipated. This made our lives and her job much easier! • Coordinated Internet connectivity by securing passwords for staff and students

17. Keep in Mind…. • Be flexible. Change what needs to be changed. Do your best. Ask questions. • Most of all...focus on student success. • We are helping to change lives, families, and futures. 