Workplace Education Yields Demonstrable Benefits

1. Workplace Education Yields Demonstrable Benefits A presentation by Dr. Lloyd David delivered by Brooke S. Toomey of Creative Workplace Learning NETWORK CONFERENCE Massachusetts Coalition of Adult Education (MCAE) Marlborough MA October 26, 2006

2. Introduction: Review of Literature • First step in preparing for this workshop: review literature on the evaluation of workplace education programs • Resources referenced: • Google • Conference Board of Canada studies from 1990s • NCSALL Focus on Basics • a report from Northern Illinois University done in 2003 • NIFL Listserve: “I am working on a report. Does anyone know of other research studies on the benefits of workplace education programs that have been done in addition to the Conference Board of Canada study Turning Skills into Profit?”

3. Can all workplace education program evaluations include both quantitative & qualitative measures of success? • Goal for the workshop: show the importance of including both quantitative and qualitative measures in workplace education program evaluation. • By sharing experiences we can begin the process of setting up a means of collecting and disseminating the benefits of workplace education. • Are these benefits currently being overlooked?

4. Various programs, common goals. • In about 3-4 sentences, explain your organization’s primary workplace education program. What were the initial goals you set out to achieve and how did you establish them? What were actual outcomes at the end of the program? • Who benefited from the workplace education program you implemented? Management? Workers? Customers or clients? • How did your organization identify and document successes of the workplace education program? • How can documenting the benefits of workplace education programs to management, workers and customers impact the field of workplace education in general? • Was subsequent funding granted to your organization if successes were diligently documented or did documentation have no impact whatsoever? • Why should companies, employers, public funders, or foundations support workplace education when there is little evidence of the benefits? • How can we, as education providers, better secure cooperation from company management so that students’ attendance, progress and satisfaction are supported? • What do you think the benefits of workplace education programs should be? Is your opinion necessarily in line with the funders’ opinions, the managers’ opinions, and the workers’ opinions?

5. US Department of Education evaluates projects in 1997 • The Conference Board of Canada report, Turning Skills into Profits, listed economic benefits of workplace education programs to employees and employers • 12 skills gained, as mentioned by the employees • Greater willingness and ability to learn for life • Improved ability to listen… • Improved ability to understand and use documents • More positive attitude toward change • Better ability to work in teams • Increased ability to use numbers • Improved capacity to think critically • Better able to communicate using English • Improved ability to use computers • Heightened awareness to others’ cultures • Stronger ability to use prose • Employers report at least one skill gained

6. Improved employee morale Increased quality of work Improved capacity to solve problems Improved capacity to cope with change Improved capacity to use new technology More employees participating in training Higher success rate in promotions Improved effectiveness of supervisors Increased capacity to handle on-the-job training Improved labor-management relations Increased output of products and services Higher success rate in transferring employees within the organization Improved results in job-specific training Increased profitability Reduced time per task Quicker results in job training Reduced error rate Better health and safety record Reduced waste in production of products and services Increased customer retention Increased employee retention Reduced absenteeism …economic benefits of workplace education programs to the employer:

7. Are workplace education programs given the importance that they warrant? • Can workplace education providers and instructors find adequate and specific support in Massachusetts? • Evidential support of successful programming in the past is critical to building on a strong foundation. • Evaluations of workplace education programs can be the powerful evidence we need. Comprehensive evaluations should, at minimum: • report the process and outcomes of program implementation and • show the importance of the programs to the company and the benefits to the students. • Developing a strategy to organize educators and directors can help nurture advocates for workplace education • When everyone is uses the same language and understands the importance of disseminating the information, the validity of evaluations and the lessons learned are strengthened • Involving businesses and unions in the evaluation process furthers the collaboration needed for successful programming

8. CEI/CWL examples of Workplace StudiesAn evaluation should be all inclusive

9. CWL Workplace Education Programs: key benefits • Axcelis Technologies • Student enthusiasm for classes => implementation of additional subjects • Engelhard Corporation • Administration of company-designed pre & post tests showed 100% of program participants improved • Imperial Distributors • Special study demonstrated clear social and psychological benefits for employees • Fire Control Instruments, Inc….

10. Fire Control Instruments, Inc

11. Conclusion: • Investing in employee education increases productivity and morale • Multiple benefits of Workplace Education—collectively discussed today • Value in pooling results of evaluations? • Thank you.