Intersect With Earl September 2022

At CAEL, I like to think that every month is workforce development month. Then again, every month is also postsecondary education month. From our perspective, those two niches of the adult learning ecosystem are forever entwined. But it so happens that September is designated Workforce Development Month by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals. I applaud anything that helps draw attention to this critical national issue. Workforce development isn't just about employers, it's about viable career paths for adult learners, access to work-relevant education and training, and economic growth for communities. As usual, you'll find references to such issues below. And watch cael.org for several new blog posts this month that highlight workforce development in our partnership work. 

Great job on the Good Jobs Challenge: Congrats to recipients of grants via the Good Jobs Challenge. Several CAEL members were instrumental in delivering this major workforce, education, and training funding for their regions. A few examples include South Seattle College, North Carolina A&T State University, Lorain County Community College, Shasta College, and City Colleges of Chicago. And our very own Patricia Wallace and Ashley Wilhelm are directing CAEL's collaboration with Workforce Mid-South in support of its leadership of a three-state coalition that has won a $21.5 million grant under the program, with Matt Waltz and I serving on the project's advisory council. These projects are great examples of how diverse stakeholders can come together to amplify the impact of linking learning and work. 

Collaborating to Create Career Pathways
Multiple foundations are funding the Ihduwiyayapi Advancing Indigenous Early Childhood Education program. The initiative is supporting 11 tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) in the development of programs and the use of articulation, experiential learning, and recruitment/retention/completion strategies to drive career readiness for this critical sector. 

What do you do when you don't have a viable pipeline of workers? If you're the New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities, you convene employers, industry associations, labor unions, education institutions, and workforce development partners to create them. 

Education benefits
The city of Charlotte is pre-paying tuition and fees for its employees who haven't completed a postsecondary credential.

Carhartt, a workwear company, accented Labor Day by diverting all of its online sales that day to support grants funding training programs that diversify the skilled trades. 

Microcredentials meet macroeconomic challenges
The Governor's Office of Workforce Transformation is hoping to fill more than 32,000 telecommunications jobs, including those needed to increase broadband access, through Ohio's Individual Microcredential Assistance Program. 

Grant opportunity
Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Tribal Colleges or Universities; or Minority Serving Institutions, including Hispanic-Serving Institutions can pursue grant funding to support efforts that diversify the talent pipeline for K-12 educators (Oct. 7 application deadline).

CAEL member mention
The University of North Carolina system is putting its statewide stature behind an effort to reengage adult learners so that their pause in education doesn't become a full stop. InsideTrack, our fellow Strada Collaborative nonprofit, is supporting the initiative with its coaching services.  

Interested in learning more about CAEL memberships? Please visit us, and always feel free to contact us with questions or comments on any topic at cael@cael.org.

Additional Reading
The case for work-based learning
Competency-based microcredentials allow students to take a test drive' on their career path  Employers: College degrees are the worst indicator of job readiness except everything else
CPL the difference between starting over and getting closer to the finish line
Southwest Regional Manufacturers Association: never too early to engage students on education-career pathways
On the heels of doubling state apprenticeships, NC CC system lands $4 million grant, eyes HBCU partnerships for continued growth
White House eyes public-private partnerships, apprenticeship programs to tackle teacher shortage
Work-based learning opportunities feature in grant to improve postsecondary education in rural communities.
Training grant to help adult learners in Wyoming transition from prison to employment
National window and door manufacturer opening doors for employees with education benefits
State government CIOs: legacy tech upgrades go hand in hand with upgrading legacy skillsets

Thanks for spending a moment with me at the intersection of learning and work. Until next time, happy reading.