Expanding Adult Literacy Efforts in WIRED Regions
A CAEL initiative funded by the Verizon Foundation
With a generous grant from the Verizon Foundation, CAEL’s new initiative, Expanding Adult Literacy Efforts in WIRED Regions, is underway. The purpose of the projec tis to bridge the gap that may exist between adult literacy efforts and workforce development efforts in a region. The goal is to help WIRED regions enhance and expand their current adult literacy efforts to address workforce issues, while increasing the accessibility and visibility of Verizon’s adult literacy resources.
Several WIRED regions have identified literacy issues as a barrier to creating a more innovative workforce with higher levels of skills and creativity. They stressed that in order to attract new business to the region and transform their economy, it is essential that their workforce master basic skills. There are many existing resources to assist in these efforts including the Verizon Foundation’s Thinkfinity website which is a rich source of information for students, educators, volunteers, and adult learners. However, workforce development entities across the nation may not be aware of the adult literacy resources available in Thinkfinity or of other resources to address these issues.
Over a one year period beginning November 2007, CAEL will design deliver and evaluate the impact of a workshop on “Bridging the Gap between Adult Literacy and Worker Readiness” to three designated WIRED regions. The workshops are expected to serve approximately 100 participants in total, including WIRED Team Leaders, representatives from workforce agencies, economic development authorities, chambers of commerce, higher education, and private-sector businesses. The objective is to link the Verizon Foundation to the WIRED initiative, and increase the potential for future partnerships.
In each of the “Bridging the Gap between Adult Literacy and Worker Readiness” workshops the objective is to:
- Highlight regional literacy issues in the workforce and how these issues adversely affect regional workforce and economic development efforts in key industries
- Assist key stakeholders in regions to access existing resources that can effectively address these literacy issues
- Assist key stakeholders, especially representatives of business and industry, in developing a plan to integrate these resources into emerging and ongoing WIRED initiatives in the region.
The dual focus of the regional workshops – identifying and expanding local resources and featuring Verizon’s online resources – is specifically designed to enhance the potential for the project to grow and expand after the workshop’s end.
For more information, please contact Tonia Pullen, Project Coordinator, at tpullen@cael.org or 312-499-2373. |
