Module 3 – Curriculum
Workplace Skills
General Workforce Skills
What are the general skills that make someone a good worker? What skills do adult literacy learners need to develop and strengthen that will not only allow them to get a job, but also to keep that job, advance within a job, and even build a career? In 1991, the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS), U.S. Department of Labor, published a report, "What Work Requires of Schools." The report examines the demands of the workplace and the level of skills required to enter and maintain employment. This report identified a three-part "foundation of skills and personal qualities" and five that lay at the heart of job performance and were essential preparation for those going directly to work, as well as those planning further education.
 |
“The message to us was universal: good jobs will increasingly depend on people who can put knowledge to work. What we found was disturbing: more than half our young people leave school without the knowledge or foundation required to find and hold a good job. These young people will pay a very high price. They face the bleak prospects of dead-end work interrupted only by periods of unemployment.”1 |
 |
“When you do not have the education, you can't be a shop manager because you have so many manuals, and different diagrams and stuff you've got to study. You've got to be able to go to different meetings and got to be able to talk to your guys that’s out there in the middle of the shop, and stuff like that. ...Now that's what I am really talking about. I wanted to move up in that bracket.” |
Take a moment to consider how you might access resources for instruction and support of adult literacy learners who need or wish to build general workforce skills.
 |
On your worksheet, record your initial thoughts about curriculum for general workforce skills. |
The SCANS report recommends integrated instruction on the foundation skills and the competencies, rather than teaching them as separate skills. The SCANS foundation skills do include basic reading, writing, and mathematical skills. While most adult literacy programs focus on resources to assess and instruct in these areas, the SCANS report recommends that adults learn these skills within a workplace context. Also included in this list are skills considered more difficult to assess, such as communication, problem-solving, and reasoning abilities. In addition there are personal qualities such as responsibility, integrity, and sociability that are not only difficult to assess, but for which designing instruction is also a challenge. Since this report, many agencies have designed curricula to assist instructors in addressing these skills and competencies – see the links “For Further Study” to the right.
Listed below is a real-life adult education scenario. While you are reading, consider the learner’s fears and needs. What are the first steps the instructor might take to determine an appropriate curriculum for this learner?
Real-Life Scenario – Rita’s Strengths:
Rita has never held a job; her recently deceased husband was the breadwinner. She is apprehensive about entering the work world, in part because she must be successful to support her children. She knows she needs to strengthen her reading skills – she dropped out of high school long ago. But she is concerned about other skills she might need to have: “I’ve never used a cash register or computer - I’ve never had to work under nobody - what if I blow it?” Her instructor, Jorge, wants to build her self-esteem and work with her to determine what general workplace skills she has already developed as a successful mother and homemaker.
|
On your worksheet, record your thoughts on Rita’s concerns and Jorge’s initial ideas. |
Click the + sign in the box to the right to see ideas from other Adult Education Instructors. | [?] |
-
I’ve arranged with several local businesses to have students “job shadow” and even interview employers. This way they get a feel for what it’s like on a job, what skills they might need to work on, and also get a chance to see if they think the job suits them.
-
I’ve worked to set my classroom up more like a workplace. Students clock in and out, often work in teams or pairs, have classroom “duties” they are expected to perform, etc. We have lessons that require them to use many of the SCANS skills. I observe and listen, using checklists to note strengths and skills – what students need to learn next, where they have improved, etc.
-
All my students are required to use a computer. Computers are integral to so many businesses these days. Some already know more than I do, but others are really nervous. We take it one step at a time, and even take apart an old computer to see the insides – this helps them see it as just a machine, instead of a “mystery box.” We’re lucky - there’s tons of material out there for teaching computers to adult learners.
In reviewing these ideas, did you find any similar to your own? Did any of them strike you as particularly interesting? Did they provide any new insights for your instruction of adult literacy learners?
|
On your worksheet, make note of any tips, insights, or new ideas gained from the instructors’ suggestions. |
In Summary:
- The modern workplace requires skills beyond just reading, writing, and math.
- Today’s employees need strong communication and teamwork skills, as well as the ability to make decisions, solve problems, and develop creative solutions.
- Employees are expected to demonstrate qualities such as responsibility, flexibility, and honesty.
- Instructors should use materials and tools that integrate these skills as a part of students’ learning.
- Learners may not be aware of all the skills that will make them successful workers. If a student is focused on obtaining a job, instruction can go beyond the classroom to include worksite experiences and explorations.
|
On your worksheet, record any final notes or thoughts, specific ideas you want to remember, plans for further study, etc. |
Click "Next" below or a specific topic on the outline to the left to continue.
1 Executive Summary - What Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for America 2000, The Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, U.S. Department of Labor, June 1991, page viii. http://wdr.doleta.gov/SCANS/whatwork/whatwork.pdf
2 Learning at Work: Tennessee Profiles in Workplace Adult Basic Education, edited by Diane Gardner, Center for Literacy Studies, Fall 2000: http://aeonline.coe.utk.edu/pdf/learnatwrk.pdf
3 CareerOneStop Skills Standards http://www.careeronestop.org/SKILLS/SkillCenterPgTwo.asp#SkillsStandards
The Secretary's Commission On Achieving Necessary Skills - Identifying and Describing The Skills Required by Work: http://wdr.doleta.gov/SCANS/idsrw/idsrw.pdf [Note: “Although the commission completed its work in 1992, its findings and recommendations continue to be a valuable source of information for individuals and organizations involved in education and workforce development.” http://wdr.doleta.gov/SCANS/]