This could be helpful to us...
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Alan Lesure 
  To: 'The Workplace Literacy Discussion List' 
  Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2008 5:42 PM
  Subject: [Workplace 1484] Re: What would you advise students who seek alifetime of jobs that will provide for family self sufficiency?


  David,

  In work performed several years ago with Dr. Arnold Packer, who had led the SCANS Commission, our teams of organizational development psychologists identified the behavioral skills that were - and remain - important to employers seeking to fill first or entry-level jobs. In addition to ABE/GED/VESL kinds of competencies, there was a national consensus among employers that the following skills were often of equal importance to basic academic skills:

  Personal Qualities, by which employers meant the following competencies:

    a.. Knowing right from wrong and acting accordingly 
    b.. Encouraging a person to do the right thing when he/she behaves improperly. Reporting wrongdoing to a supervisor when appropriate 
    c.. Keeping personal matters from interfering with work 
    d.. Taking responsibility when an unusual situation calls for special attention 
    e.. Recognizing when more information is needed and asking for help if necessary 
    f.. Knowing that quality counts; going the extra mile to ensure that a job is done properly 
    g.. Offering to help when needed, even if that means giving up some personal time 
    h.. Completing tasks; not leaving unfinished work for others 
    i.. Defending oneself when in the right 
    j.. Listening to criticism and trying to learn from the experience 
    k.. Making productive use of time; a self-starter 
    l.. Knowing what s/he can and cannot do; explaining these limits to others and asking for help, when needed 
    m.. Being open and honest in dealing with people 
    n.. Correctly balancing business needs against good relations with co-workers. Taking the time to discuss non work-related issues with associates (and doing this without interfering with work) 
  Customer Service Skills, by which employer meant the following competencies 


    a.. Staying cool and business-like even when customers are unreasonable 
    b.. Offering sincere help, even to hostile customers 
    c.. Handling competing customer needs in a calm and helpful manner; following through on commitments 
    d.. Increasing customer loyalty by immediately addressing concerns and following up 
    e.. Knowing when to deal directly with the customer and when to refer them to others. Seeing what is important, and seeking solutions with business needs in mind 
    f.. Recognizing when more information is needed in order to make a decision 
    g.. Knowing why company rules/guidelines exist - and, when to apply or bend them in order to keep a customer satisfied 
    h.. Considering new ways to satisfy the customer without interfering with other business functions 
    i.. Helping co-workers to improve the quality of their work 
    j.. Communicating through voice and body language that customer satisfaction is the top priority 
    k.. Balancing one's work schedule and customer demands; adjusting to accommodate the customer 
    l.. Seeking customer feedback and listening carefully to comments and requests 
  Listening, by which employers meant:  


    a.. Demonstrating the ability to comprehend and recall verbal information, including instructions 
  Because the above soft skills are behavioral, they are effectively measured using work-related, video-delivered simulations. More to the point for ABE faculty, these skills can be developed over time through their integration into basic academic or career and technical courses and programs - what Washington State calls their I-BEST process. 

  While mention is sometimes made of interpersonal skills in this forum, it is surprising that greater attention is not paid to the valid, legal and predictive measurement, development and documentation of future or incumbent workers soft skills within an ABE framework. Documentation of academic and soft skills represent a significant opportunity to both better serve employers and to equip individuals with a significant competitive advantage when seeking employment. 


  Alan B. Lesure, President
  Learning Resources, Inc.
  1117 E. Putnam Avenue, # 260
  Riverside, CT 06878

  Phone: 203-637-5047
  Fax:     203-637-2786
  E-Mail: alesure at learning-resources.com



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  From: workplace-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:workplace-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David J. Rosen
  Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2008 6:58 AM
  To: The Workplace Literacy Discussion List
  Subject: [Workplace 1480] What would you advise students who seek a lifetimeof jobs that will provide for family self sufficiency?


  Charlene and Tom, 


  In a meeting yesterday an experienced colleague (and as it happens, a subscriber to this list) said she is having a tough time figuring out what the jobs of the future in Massachusetts will require. Will everyone need to have at least two years of college in order to work? In order to have a good job? And then, if everyone goes to college, will the good jobs only go those with B.As? M.A.s? Ph.Ds? Post-graduate work? Another experienced colleague said the economy in the U.S. is becoming more polarized, that there will be plenty of jobs that do not require college skills but they will not be jobs that have good salaries and benefits. 


  I would like to put this question to Tom and to others who may have some findings or insights, ideally from research: If you were an adult education teacher and were preparing young adult students (16-25 year olds, let's say) for good jobs, those that enable a family of four to be self-sufficient, what would you advise? Would you tell them all that to be on the safe side they needed at least one year of college (including community college) that at least two years and an AA degree would be better? Or would you say, "Just get your GED or adult diploma and get good work experience (and/or training, and/or an apprenticeship) and move up." What does the research on earnings tell us? (John Tyler's research shows that the GED without further education or training will not lead to earnings that will get one out of poverty. Is there other research to inform this advice?) Would you advise the learners to look at the "career ladder" in the industry in which they want to work? (I put career ladder in quotes because to me most career ladders now look broken, with a bunch of missing steps after the first or second one. The missing steps, in many industries now, as I see it, can only be replaced with post-secondary education. This is the case in health care, for example. However, it may not be the case in all career areas, for example in the building trades. 


  I hope there are many people on this discussion list that will take this question to heart. Adult education teachers who are preparing students for the workforce ask it all the time. Professional developers are often asked to help teachers with this question. We need as much knowledge and intelligence as we can muster to answer it. If you are a professional developer who has tried to help teachers answer this question, what do you do? What do you ask them to read, think about? What preparation should a teacher do to help students know how to prepare for a good job?


  David J. Rosen
  djrosen at comcast.net




  On Jul 11, 2008, at 10:01 AM, Charlene Lutes wrote:


    David, thank you so much for the information. I love these discussions because it always broadens our knowledge and helps us understand issues from a broader perspective rather than our own point of view.
    So it appears there are a few core factors that exist across the board, but the broader core factors might be relative to the industry, location, etc.
    Have a great weekend. Charlene

    Charlene A. Lutes, Ph.D.
    Northwestern Michigan College
    1701 E. Front Street
    Traverse City, MI 49686
    (231) 995-1971 FAX (231) 995-1972


    >>> "David J. Rosen" <djrosen at comcast.net> 7/10/2008 10:48 AM >>>
    Tom and Charlene,

    Demand for high skills jobs depends on the industry and location. For 
    example, for some time there has been an unmet demand for nurses, 
    radiation technologists and other acute and long-term care jobs 
    requiring post-secondary level skills and knowledge, especially in 
    many urban hospitals and nursing homes. Whether or not there is 
    unmet demand also depends on whether or not employers can fill the 
    jobs with well educated immigrants. Demand in most industries also 
    depends on the economy. For example, our economy -- and others -- 
    appears to be spinning downward. As jobs are eliminated, employers 
    may find that there are enough qualified people to fill their few job 
    vacancies.

    Is employee low basic skills a crisis -- or even a major concern -- 
    for employers in the U.S.? I agree with Tom that if it were, 
    employers (and organized labor) would be actively lobbying Congress 
    to do something about about the problem. I haven't seen that happen 
    yet. Maybe the Commission report, with the help of those on the 
    Commission and with some key Congresspeople, will change that. I hope 
    so. We'll see.

    David J. Rosen
    djrosen at comcast.net



    On Jul 10, 2008, at 7:16 AM, Charlene Lutes wrote:

    > I talk to business and industry all the time. They do think a 
    > crisis still exists. I think what you're seeing is their 
    > reluctance to pour more money into new programs that essentially 
    > are a rehash of the past even though they are renamed and redone, 
    > sort of. I think they want to distance themselves from education 
    > and government for the most part because of past non delivery: 
    > tech prep, etc.
    > I believe they've lost faith in the U.S. Department of Education 
    > and the state ed departments because by the time it reaches the 
    > client or those who need to improve their literacy, politics has 
    > raped the funds, the intent of the programs and skewed the 
    > results. Consequently, the numbers continue to climb. This is 
    > what they see.
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > Charlene A. Lutes, Ph.D.
    > Northwestern Michigan College
    > 1701 E. Front Street
    > Traverse City, MI 49686
    > (231) 995-1971 FAX (231) 995-1972
    >
    >
    >
    > >>> <tsticht at znet.com> 7/9/2008 5:26 PM >>>
    > July 9, 2008
    >
    > The Great Crisis in Workforce Skills Debate
    >
    > Tom Sticht
    >
    > In June 2008 a National Commission on Adult Literacy presented the 
    > final
    > report of a two year study of the skills of the American workforce 
    > and the
    > demands for skills in the workplace. Entitled "Reach Higher, America:
    > Overcoming Crisis in the U.S. Workforce", the report states "Almost a
    > decade into the 21st Century, America faces a choice: We can 
    > invest in the
    > basic education and skills of our workforce and remain competitive in
    > today's global economy, or we can continue to overlook glaring 
    > evidence of
    > a national crisis and move further down the path to decline." (p. v)
    >
    > Continuing its claims of a crisis in the U. S. workforce due to low 
    > skills,
    > the Commission's report goes on to state: "Americans should have been
    > stunned when the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), 
    > released in
    > 2005, revealed that a staggering 30 million American adults scored at
    > "below basic "-meaning they could perform no more than the most 
    > rudimentary
    > literacy tasks. Another 63 million adults could perform only 
    > simple, basic
    > everyday literacy activities.1 The NAAL findings are ominous 
    > because most
    > good jobs require at least some education beyond high school. The NAAL
    > found that of the approximately 222 million adults aged 16 or older 
    > living
    > in households or prisons in the United States, some 93 million lack
    > literacy at a level needed to enroll in the postsecondary education 
    > or job
    > training that current and future jobs require. This alarming number 
    > should
    > have produced a national outcry. But-at a time when our economy and 
    > welfare
    > are more dependent on knowledge and skills than ever before-there 
    > was barely
    > a whisper." (p. 2)
    >
    > Why has there been "barely a whisper" in the face of this workforce 
    > skills
    > crisis? There are no doubt many factors involved, but one of them 
    > seems to
    > be that the claim of such a crisis is challenged by another stream of
    > reports by organizations and individuals. For instance, in a recent 
    > article
    > online at http://www.ednews.org, Dennis Redovich, a job skills 
    > specialist
    > (www.jobseducationwis.org) surveyed a number of the claims of 
    > workforce
    > skills deficits and concluded Quote: "Reality is 1. For the 
    > majority of the
    > jobs in the world and the U. S., basic reading, writing, 
    > arithmetic, and
    > developing a work ethic may be required. 2. Education for education 
    > sake is
    > good and is helpful in getting a job and doing well. However there 
    > is a
    > surplus of highly educated workers for jobs that require higher 
    > levels of
    > education and training. 3. A majority of jobs in the United States
    > workforce require only short-term or moderate length on the job 
    > training or
    > experience. About 21% of jobs might require a bachelor's degree or 
    > more.
    > About 32% of workers in 2003 in the U. S. workforce 25 years and 
    > over had a
    > Bachelor's degree or more. 5. About 5% of jobs in the United States 
    > in the
    > 2000s might require higher math and or science course work."
    >
    > In a September 2006 article in Phi Delta Kappan, Gerald Bracey has an
    > article in which he notes that for years both he and Redovich "have 
    > been
    > screaming about what we might call the "high-skills hoax" -- the 
    > notion
    > that everyone must have high skills." He goes on to say, Quote: 
    > "It's not
    > that we don't recognize a civil rights issue in the debate -- everyone
    > should have the opportunity to develop the skills to land a high- 
    > paying
    > job. However, we understand the law of supply and demand, and we 
    > know about
    > what jobs are actually being created. In fact, if everyone became 
    > highly
    > skilled, the wages of skilled labor would fall, and the 
    > unemployment rates
    > for skilled workers would rise, a condition conducive to social 
    > unrest."
    > End quote
    >
    > Both Redovich and Bracey point to research indicating that the 
    > workforce of
    > the near future (e.g., up to 2020) will not face a future dominated 
    > by jobs
    > with postsecondary or college degree requirements. Bracey states, 
    > Quote:
    > "Most new jobs, though, continue to be in the low-paying service 
    > sector.
    > When the Bureau of Labor Statistics issues its 10-year job creation
    > forecasts, the number of new jobs for retail sales clerks alone 
    > approaches
    > the number for the 10 fastest-growing jobs combined. At present, 
    > the number
    > of people with bachelor's degrees is just about right to fill the 
    > proportion
    > of jobs requiring them, and that proportion is not projected to 
    > increase
    > much in the near future. Producing a great many more college grads 
    > will . .
    > . well, here we are again, back to supply and demand. .Parallel to 
    > the claim
    > that we will need more skilled workers is the claim that there is a 
    > mismatch
    > between jobs and the skills of workers: workers don't have the 
    > skills that
    > employers demand. We have argued against this, too." End quote.
    >
    > In 1998 I prepared a paper for the U. S. Department of Education 
    > entitled
    > Beyond 2000: Future Directions for Adult Education. In that report 
    > I drew
    > upon work from the Hudson Institute [Judy, R. & D'Amico, C. (1997)
    > Workforce 2020: Work and Workers in the 21st Century. 
    > Indianapolis, IN:
    > Hudson Institute] looking at the education and skills requirements 
    > of jobs
    > up to the year 2020. I concluded that Quote "If the new Hudson 
    > Institute
    > report is correct, 65-75 percent of the new jobs in the fastest 
    > growing
    > occupations will require language and mathematics skills at or 
    > below the
    > 8th grade level in school. . Regarding the so-called "skills gap," 
    > then,
    > what can be said for certain is that the last decade and a half has
    > witnessed a plethora of analyses to find out if such a gap exists 
    > and to
    > this date there has been no definitive answer (there is not even 
    > agreement
    > on what is meant by the word "skills," see papers for the National 
    > Academy
    > of Sciences edited by Lesgold, Feuer, & Black, 1997). This debate 
    > is likely
    > to persist into the next millennium." End quote.
    >
    > Now we are nearing the end of the first decade of the new 
    > millennium and we
    > find that, indeed, the great debate about workforce skills and job 
    > demands
    > goes on. The recent report of the National Commission on Adult 
    > Literacy is
    > the latest in the stream of reports decrying the skills of the 
    > workforce
    > and portending a crisis for our global competitiveness. On the 
    > other side
    > of the debate are the reports by Bracey, Redovich and the analysts 
    > they
    > cite who argue that we are not facing a workforce skills crisis that
    > threatens our national economy nor our international competitiveness.
    >
    > This debate may contribute to some degree to the conclusion of the 
    > Reach
    > Higher America report that, despite the surveys of adult literacy 
    > conducted
    > by the U. S. Department of Education suggesting that some 93 
    > million adults
    > lack literacy at a level needed to enroll in the postsecondary 
    > education or
    > job training that current and future jobs require, barely a whisper 
    > has been
    > heard. More to the point, little by way of policy and funding for 
    > the Adult
    > Education and Literacy System of the United States has changed, and 
    > the
    > system continues to work staffed mostly by part-time and volunteer
    > teachers, with an obscene level of funding of barely $800 per 
    > enrollment.
    > This does not signal to me that major policymakers think a crisis 
    > exists in
    > the skills of the workforce.
    >
    > Thomas G. Sticht
    > International Consultant in Adult Education
    > Email: tsticht at aznet.net
    >
    >
    >
    >
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    Email delivered to clutes at nmc.edu

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  David J. Rosen
  djrosen at comcast.net








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