http://www.clasp.org/issues/rss/publications.xml?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training Resources and Publications from the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) en-us Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:01:48 -0500 info@clasp.org webmaster@clasp.org 40 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/Testimony-to-the-Committee-on-Education-on-the-FY14-Budget.pdf In 2013, it is a complete misnomer to label adult education as simply a "literacy" program. It is so much more. Adult education is an oft-overlooked and integral part of the District's workforce development system. Gone are the days when one could attain self-sufficiency with only a high school diploma. Today's workers need higher level skills and often postsecondary-level credentials to compete for jobs in the changing economy. In fact, by 2018, 71 percent of all jobs in D.C. will require some postsecondary training beyond high school. Yet far too many workers in the city are falling far short of these credential requirements and will be left behind. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Testimony-to-the-Committee-on-Education-on-the-FY14-Budget.pdf Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500 /postsecondary/publication?id=0762&list=publications This toolkit is designed to help interagency state teams identify and facilitate "braiding" of federal resources to design and develop career pathways and bridges into them for adults and out-of-school youth. The toolkit also will help state teams identify state policy barriers to using federal resources for career pathways and bridges and, ideally, address them. http://www.clasp.org/postsecondary/publication?id=0762&list=publications Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500 /resources_and_publications/publication?id=1239&list=publications A new paper from the National Transitional Jobs Network and CLASP provides strategies and makes recommendations on leveraging and blending multiple sources of funding to support subsidized employment programs. In addition to highlighting the opportunities to use block grant funding, from both TANF and Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), the paper identifies efforts to fund these jobs by averting future expenses associated with prisons and other corrections measures and by leveraging public contracting and bidding opportunities. The webinar is also available. http://www.clasp.org/resources_and_publications/publication?id=1239&list=publications Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/A-Guide-for-HPOG-Programs-March-2013-Final.pdf Healthcare is one of the fastest growing sectors in our economy, and there are many jobs in this sector that require fewer than 4 years of college education, have high demand, and offer good pay. However, low-income workers often face barriers to accessing the education and training they need to enter these jobs, including lack of information, poor basic skills, confusing and poorly aligned training programs, cost of training, and need for supportive services, such as child care and transportation. The Heath Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG), authorized by section 5507 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA; Public Law 111-148), address this issue by supporting models for providing education, training, and support services to enable recipients of cash assistance under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other low-income individuals to obtain well-paying jobs in high-demand healthcare occupations. The HPOG program is one of several provisions of ACA aimed at supporting training for the healthcare workforce of the future. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/A-Guide-for-HPOG-Programs-March-2013-Final.pdf Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-AQCP-Metrics-Feb-2013.pdf This working paper examines three elements of career pathway metrics development and provides an overview of what state and local/regional career pathway systems have done in relation to those elements. Our scan provides an impression of current practices but not a systematic description. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-AQCP-Metrics-Feb-2013.pdf Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-The-AQCP-Approach-Feb-2013.pdf The Alliance for Quality Career Pathways is a two-year, state driven, CLASP-led effort to identify criteria that define high quality career pathway systems and a set of shared performance metrics for measuring and managing their success. CLASP will work with 10 states that are leading the nation in experience with developing and taking to scale career pathways, using a consensus process, to create this framework of criteria and metrics. These leading states participating in the Alliance are Arkansas, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-The-AQCP-Approach-Feb-2013.pdf Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/AdultEducationJobsandtheEconomyFINAL.pdf Nearly 30 million adults in the U.S. have below a high school education and over 24 million have English language training needs. Even for those adults with a high school diploma, basic skills deficiencies have a detrimental and long-lasting impact on our nation's families and economic growth. Adult education (Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, Title II of the Workforce Investment Act) plays a critical role in the economic opportunity of over two million adult learners each year who use these services to earn a high school equivalency, increase basic and employability skills, or improve their English language proficiency. Fully investing in adult education and reforming the program to meet the needs of today's workers will help workers and their families build a better economic future for themselves and the nation. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/AdultEducationJobsandtheEconomyFINAL.pdf Thu, 28 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/Sinking-or-Swimming-State-Adult-Education-Tuition-and-Financing-Policies.pdf At no time in recent history has the importance of adult education been greater and the funding more threatened. Despite the fact that as many as 93 million adults in the U.S. may need basic skills services to improve their economic prospects, funding for these services is stagnating at the federal level and being slashed in statehouses and state agencies across the country. Demand remains high, with at least 160,000 people on waiting lists that exist in nearly every state. To begin the conversation about how to meet existing and emerging needs with shrinking resources, CLASP and the National Council for State Directors of Adult Education (NCSDAE) surveyed state directors of adult education in February 2012. The goal was to glean information about important policies that govern the way adult education is funded, including the costs borne by local districts, community colleges, and other providers and by the states, the federal government, and students. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Sinking-or-Swimming-State-Adult-Education-Tuition-and-Financing-Policies.pdf Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0500 /postsecondary/publication?id=1131&list=publications On June 14, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2013 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill that sets funding levels for key education and training programs. Importantly, the bill also includes an amendment that would restore financial aid eligibility for some students without a high school diploma or its equivalent who are able to demonstrate their ability to benefit from college-level coursework. The provision would allow this eligibility only for ATB-eligible students who are enrolled in career pathway programs, a program model which CLASP has long-supported. http://www.clasp.org/postsecondary/publication?id=1131&list=publications Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/WIAYouthHR4297-Final.pdf On March 29, 2012, Rep. Virginia Foxx, Rep. Joseph J. Heck and Rep. Howard P. McKeon introduced a Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reauthorization bill (H.R. 4297). This analysis looks at the bill's youth provisions. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/WIAYouthHR4297-Final.pdf Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/Refocusing-Adult-Education.pdf Two proposals to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) are in the House of Representatives. Both proposals reflect a priority of greater alignment among adult education (Title II), workforce development (Title I), and postsecondary education, and both increase the focus on preparing adult students not just to earn a secondary school diploma but for college and careers. Despite these similarities, the bills differ across several dimensions. This analysis highlights key provisions in each bill that strengthen or weaken the overall goal of refocusing Title II on career and postsecondary success. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Refocusing-Adult-Education.pdf Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/Wrong-Direction-for-WIA.pdf On March 29, 2012, Rep. Virginia Foxx, Rep. Joseph J. Heck and Rep. Howard P. McKeon introduced a Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reauthorization bill (H.R. 4297). To help advocates and stakeholders, CLASP has developed a set of criteria for evaluating this bill and other proposals that consolidate programs offering workforce services to low-income families and individuals. In applying these criteria to H.R. 4297, CLASP finds that the bill fails on most counts. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Wrong-Direction-for-WIA.pdf Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/Litmus-for-Legislation.pdf During the past year, a number of bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to reduce the number of federal workforce programs, consolidate programs in some cases and to improve the efficiency of the workforce system. CLASP recognizes the need for a more coherent and effective workforce development system. However, it is wrong to assume that the federal government's support of multiple workforce programs necessarily amounts to or results in duplicative services. To help advocates and other stakeholders, CLASP has developed a set of criteria with which to evaluate proposals that consolidate or restructure programs offering workforce services to low-income families and individuals. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Litmus-for-Legislation.pdf Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/Adult-Education-and-Economic-Growth-Act-Analysis-updated.pdf This is an update to a similar brief from November 2011. The Adult Education and Economic Growth Act (AEEGA) was introduced in the House of Representatives in June 2011 by Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15) and in February 2012 in the Senate by Sen. Jim Webb (VA). The Act (H.R. 2226 and S. 2117) would amend the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to encourage the use and availability of career pathways for low-skilled adults, strengthen the focus of adult education on postsecondary and career success, increase the number of adult education students receiving marketable postsecondary credentials, and modernize the adult education system to meet the needs of 21st century jobs. Although AEEGA could substantially improve WIA-particularly the Title II provisions that govern adult education-it could be strengthened by incorporating stronger provisions that promote better alignment between WIA Titles I and II, including a shared system of accountability. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Adult-Education-and-Economic-Growth-Act-Analysis-updated.pdf Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600 /postsecondary/publication?id=1076&list=publications The Winter 2012 edition of Transmissions is the last newsletter of the Shifting Gears initiative, which ended on December 31, 2011. Although this work is formally ending, we hope that other states and the federal government can benefit from the lessons learned from this groundbreaking work. http://www.clasp.org/postsecondary/publication?id=1076&list=publications Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600 /resources_and_publications/publication?id=1084&list=publications In his FY 2013 budget proposal released Monday, the president called for an $8 billion Community College to Career Fund to train 2 million workers for jobs in high-demand and high-growth fields. The president announced the initiative in late January during his State of the Union address and provided more details in his budget proposal. http://www.clasp.org/resources_and_publications/publication?id=1084&list=publications Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/adult-ed-funding-enrollment-February-2012.pdf This fact sheet on adult education funding and enrollment trends shows that funding for adult education and English language services has declined by 17 percent from 2002 to 2012 in inflation-adjusted terms. At the same time, enrollment has declined by 27 percent, signaling concern that the system is unable to serve the growing population in need of services due to insufficient funding. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/adult-ed-funding-enrollment-February-2012.pdf Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600 /postsecondary/publication?id=1066&list=publications House and Senate conferees are currently considering an extension of federally funded unemployment assistance through the end of 2012. The House-passed bill (H.R. 3630) that conferees are considering includes a new minimum educational requirement for Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants. The bill would change federal law to require individuals who receive UI benefits to have a high school diploma, GED or other state-recognized equivalent or be enrolled in classes leading to a secondary credential. If this requirement is deemed "unduly burdensome," state agencies may waive it for individuals. CLASP urges conferees to reject the proposed minimum educational requirement for UI recipients and any alternative formulations of this provision. http://www.clasp.org/postsecondary/publication?id=1066&list=publications Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-Comments-on-Department-of-Education-Strategic-Plan-FY-2011_FINAL.pdf In January 2012, CLASP provided comments on the Department of Education's Strategic Plan for FY 2011 - 2014. CLASP applauded the Department for putting forth a strategic plan that raises expectations for our nation's education system at all levels and moves the country toward meeting the goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-Comments-on-Department-of-Education-Strategic-Plan-FY-2011_FINAL.pdf Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/Adult-Education-and-Economic-Growth-Act-Analysis.pdf The Adult Education and Economic Growth Act (AEEGA) was introduced in the House of Representatives in June 2011 by Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15). The bill (H.R. 2226) would amend the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to encourage the use and availability of career pathways for low-skilled adults, strengthen the focus of adult education on postsecondary and career success, increase the number of adult education students receiving marketable postsecondary credentials, and modernize the adult education system to meet the needs of 21st century jobs. Although AEEGA could substantially improve WIA - particularly the Title II provisions that govern adult education - it could be strengthened by incorporating stronger provisions that promote better alignment between WIA Titles I and II, including a shared system of accountability. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Adult-Education-and-Economic-Growth-Act-Analysis.pdf