Step 1: Need-focused Planning and Analysis
Define the problem
The whole point of a learning program is to develop the needed skills or knowledge of an individual or group. Literacy programs are often offered because people are having difficulty getting through their everyday lives: helping children with homework, reading a bus schedule to get to work, understanding a medical bill, and so on. Computer classes – even those offered through community centers or park districts ostensibly “for fun” – are provided because people want to be part of a new trend or because they are recognizing the benefits to using that knowledge in their work or home lives.
Workforce Investment Boards, community colleges and universities, One-Stop Career Centers, and community-based organizations (CBOs) offer skill building and adult learning programs for clear reasons as well. Though it may seem very obvious to program planners, it may be a helpful exercise to take some time at the start of the planning process to define what problem the learning initiative is designed to solve. Are employers leaving the area because they cannot find needed skills in the existing workforce? Is there a need to attract new industries or employers to the region that will require new skills and competencies—and therefore retraining—of the existing workforce? Are employers or potential learners expressing frustration that a certain course, certification, or degree program does not exist? Are current education and training offerings underutilized or oversubscribed? Are adults who enroll in existing programs having difficulty sticking with the program? After completing the program, are they able to demonstrate and apply the skills that the program was designed to impart?
Once program planners have clearly defined the problem, they will have a better idea of what kind of additional information will be needed. For example, in the early 1990s, San Antonio saw its economy shifting from manufacturing to service jobs. The community was concerned about the fate of so many of its residents who did not have the skills that were required for the new jobs. The problem was clear: there was a skills mismatch in San Antonio. But more information was needed to arrive at a solution. Community organizers talked to residents and local employers to find out more information. They learned that people were interested in gaining skills and training for jobs. They learned that skilled jobs were available in healthcare. And they learned that there was no organization that was providing training to prepare individuals for those healthcare jobs in San Antonio. The now well-known organization Project Quest was subsequently launched to meet this initial need; it has since addressed other training-related problems in the community (Klein-Collins, 2006).
For a learning initiative, therefore, it is important to conduct some additional research to determine the ideal solution to the defined problem.