As CAEL’s Senior Vice President of Initiatives and Membership, I’ve had a front-row seat to the significant and exciting evolution in our work as we help our partners stay ahead of rapid changes in the education-employment landscape. While these upheavals can be challenging, they also expand the intersections of workforce, economic development and postsecondary education. At CAEL, we view these as intersections as spaces for collaboration, not collision.
Our membership’s growth in numbers and diversity is a testament to this perspective. Workforce and economic developers, chambers of commerce, employers and industry groups are joining our foundation of adult learner champions in postsecondary education and training in greater and greater numbers. This diversification bolsters our capacity to deliver the impact on systemic levels as documented in our theory of change.
CAEL’s Adult Learner Leaders for Institutional Effectiveness, or ALLIES, framework also addresses the importance of multifaceted strategies. While maintaining a continual focus on adult learners offers research-based insight that any organization can implement, from initiating programs to improving established foundations, it emphasizes that integrating education and workforce efforts is crucial for adult learner success and economic mobility. Here are some examples of recent CAEL initiatives that put these theories into practice.
#PreparedforPA
One of the most compelling illustrations is our work with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). Our partnership with PASSHE included hosting regional workforce assemblies to align adult learner education and training strategies with employer needs. These engagements supported the statewide #PreparedforPA initiative, which links employer-validated competencies to career pathways in key growth industries.
More specifically, our collaboration with PASSHE supported the Frontline Leadership Credentialing Program at Shippensburg University. This program targets high-potential frontline employees at partner companies, providing them with leadership skills while they continue to work. The program demonstrates the power of connecting diverse stakeholders: postsecondary institutions, major employers, workforce development boards and public and private funding sources. This multifaceted approach delivers not just training but also tangible career advancement opportunities.
Skills or Degrees? This Registered Apprenticeship Pathway Says Yes to Both
Another thriving intersection of learning and work is apprenticeships. Our just-announced joint membership agreement with Apprenticeships for America (AFA) will strengthen ties between education and employment, helping learners gain hands-on experience and valuable credentials.
To again offer some more specificity, the apprenticeship pathway we forged between the Machinists Institute and Renton Technical College (RTC) exemplifies how registered apprenticeships can seamlessly integrate with degree programs. The pathway allows apprentices to complete their apprenticeship and earn an associate of applied science degree simultaneously, making degree completion more accessible. Not only does concurrently completing a college program save apprentices time but eliminating the need to take general education classes saves them money, reducing the risk of taking on student loan debt. This model is ideal for adult learners, who may face significant barriers to continuing their education while working or who may not even need a degree in the short term. It shows how apprenticeships can meet adult learners where they are while keeping options open for where they may aspire to be.
A Water Sector Awash in Workforce Opportunities
Getting from where you are to where you want to be is much easier with clearly defined career pathways. Our recent work with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District helped strengthen the talent pipeline and create clear avenues for individuals to advance their careers in the rapidly growing water sector. Establishing navigable pathways creates truly inclusive benefits. They make it easier for hiring managers to find qualified talent, and they encourage that talent to remain with employers once they arrive, thanks to the empowerment that comes from the ability to make informed decisions about education and training and the career advancement they deliver.
Build Better Careers
Our Build Better Careers initiative, funded by the Truist Foundation, has much to offer in showcasing the benefits of integrating workforce and education strategies. This national initiative provides free training, coaching and placement assistance to underserved adult learners in five regions, helping them access jobs in high-growth sectors. In Memphis, the Growing Relational and Occupational Wealth for West Tennessee Households (GROWWTH) program at the University of Memphis is among our regional Build Better Careers partners. The GROWWTH program’s holistic approach includes childcare and transportation assistance as well as financial literacy training and, through our partnership, BankWork$ training. BankWork$ provides free career training, placement assistance and coaching to support access to rewarding careers in banking.
Major Links Between Microcredentials and Work-Based Learning
Integrated pathways are essential to learners of all ages. In Lafayette, Indiana, we partnered with Greater Lafayette Commerce (the regional economic development and workforce agency), Skyepack (a career curriculum and platform provider), local higher education institutions and regional employers to optimize microcredentials in the Career+ Pathways™ program. Career+ Pathways™ is dedicated to helping high students access immediate workplace experiences and complete industry credentials without sacrificing college ambitions.
Bridging the Talent Gap
Finally, I wanted to mention another powerful deployment of the appropriately named Bridging The Talent Gap (BTTG) survey tool. The BTTG survey captures insight about employee perspectives that is crucial to ensuring education benefits programs approach their full potential. BTTG was central to a partnership with the Detroit Regional Chamber. We deployed the survey at Henry Ford Health, a major regional health system. These types of surveys and the resulting actions are critical, as they show how we can move beyond surveys for the sake of gathering data to using surveys as a dynamic instrument for positive action.
Of course, no matter how expansive our partnerships become, our ultimate goal is to improve economic mobility for individual adult learners and workers. It is truly inspiring when we can share such success stories, so I’d like to end with some. Consider Rodney Bey II, who used the BankWork$ program to transition from temporary accounting jobs to a fulfilling career as a personal banker at Fifth Third Bank. Or Carolina Ramirez, a native of Costa Rica, who leveraged BankWork$ to revitalize her financial career in the U.S.
As a CAEL member, I’m certain you witness firsthand similar examples of the impact I shared above and the importance of dismantling barriers between education, workforce development and economic development. The work you do daily is vital to building more accessible and rewarding education-employment pathways. To explore how a partnership with CAEL can help accelerate that work, please contact us at cael@cael.org.
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