PATHWAYS:
A Blog for the CAEL Community.

Amy Belcastro, Ph.D., is a professor with Southern Oregon University (SOU). Recently, CAEL chatted with her about some of the strides SOU is taking to serve adult working learners.

Work Learn Earn (WLE) is an online career exploration tool that empowers job seekers to discover career and educational pathways within their community or within an industry. Anyone who sees an example of WLE is usually pretty “wowed.” Up-to-date labor market data, career pathway mapping, exploration of career choices, links to programs that will prepare you for a career--it’s all there and user friendly.

There has been recent discussion about the need for consistent, student-friendly policies for recognizing transfer students’ prior college credit. Otherwise, there is a danger that students could lose a lot of the time and money already spent on learning. In fact, a GAO study found that 40 percent of college credits are lost in transfer.^[1] To mitigate this, some institutions have made their transfer policies more generous. Some have amplified these measures by establishing articulation agreements that, as the article linked above suggests, can be further strengthened through a consortium model.

Around the start of a new year, it’s common for people to reflect on change – maybe make a few predictions. A new decade? Even more so. The 2020s will be our sixth decade of advocating for working adult learners. Anyone who has shared that journey knows it’s challenged by constant upheaval. But I’d like to take the opportunity to focus on one constant amid all that change – and make one very confident prediction. From the beginning, CAEL’s greatest strength has been our membership. That will always be the case. 

Without a doubt, college degrees remain key to economic mobility and well-being in the U.S. Getting a college degree opens up new career possibilities and helps people earn more income over their lifetimes. Yet far too many aspiring graduates never obtain the degrees they are seeking, which leaves them without the benefit of the degree but often holding student debt. Making it to graduation day is challenging for many students, but it is especially difficult—and especially important—for students who care for dependent children.

There are currently 2.2 million working-age adults in Florida who have started college and never finished. Complete Florida, an attainment program funded by the legislature, has a goal to help these individuals get the degrees they need for the jobs they want. This effort keeps talent pipelines filled with skilled employees that keep Florida’s economy stable. Part of these efforts require that Florida colleges and universities understand their adult learner populations. Who are they? What are their needs?

Shasta College successfully implements accelerated programs, gateway programs to four-year degrees, and a degree-reclamation program to help working adult learners achieve success in degree completion and work.

For this “interview style” blog, CAEL met with Tony Hooker, an adult learning advisor for Parkland College. The following is a summary of our conversation.

We live in a world surrounded by trauma. There’s no doubt about it.  The trauma comes from a myriad of sources including childhood adverse experiences, natural disasters and shootings in locations commonly considered safe.   The fact is that trauma produces symptoms. While symptomology differs from person to person (even within the same family), it affects the capacity of individuals of all ages to learn and retain information.   

Frontline workers now represent a significant percentage of America’s workforce. But what defines a frontline worker? Those who interact with customers, make products, and/or provide services fall within this demographic. Most of these workers make less than $30,000 a year and do not have a degree. That makes frontline workers a prime population for upskilling opportunities. With more training and new skills, many of these workers could be better positioned for career advancement.