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MANY MODELS, MANY PARTNERS The WAGE program and the Midlands Literacy Initiative are business-driven. Both partnerships perform job-skills assessments for local employers and use the resulting information to customize their training to suit local workforce needs. The partnerships have substantial business representation on their boards (the MLI board is chaired by a business leader), and both provide workplace literacy and skills training valued by local employers. Business partners both contribute to and benefit from these partnerships. In these communities, business has been actively involved in developing the workplace literacy training programs to fit their workforce needs and those of the community. In El Dorado, business partners give preference to WAGE graduates when hiring. One partner observed that the WAGE program “acts like an inspection sticker...the employer is guaranteed the applicant has mastered the skills needed for any entry-level position at their company.” In the South Carolina Midlands, businesses sponsor workplace literacy programs, provide plant tours to instructors and learners, and supply in-kind donations to MLI. They also work closely with the MLI to develop workplace literacy curricula. An especially successful partnership was formed by the MLI, the One-Stop, the state Workforce Resource Center, and the Family Dollar retail store chain. Hoping to curb high turnover among its management ranks, Family Dollar approached the MLI and One-Stop for training that would enable current employees to become assistant store managers. These partners led a national demonstration project called the Major Urban Strategic Training initiative (MUST). The One-Stop recruited and screened potential participants, referring those who did not pass the initial screening to adult education classes. MLI worked with Family Dollar to design a curriculum that combined retail topics with basic literacy instruction. Company executives were so impressed with the quality of the program that Family Dollar is now expanding the MLI workplace training to all of their stores in major urban areas. BUSINESSES PLAY MANY ROLES
Business involvement in the other partnerships takes different forms. In Palm Beach County, for example, where the focus is less on workforce development and more on literacy services, it was nonetheless a local business leader who started the Literacy Coalition. The Coalition's Communications Committee consists of representatives of local TV stations and newspapers that provide thousands of dollars of free advertising to further the cause of literacy in the community. These partners also sponsor literacy activities, provide corporate contributions, help recruit volunteers, and promote Coalition events. For READ/San Diego, a partnership with Starbucks Coffee provides benefits ranging from free coffee for tutors and learners, to corporate contributions, to thousands of books to distribute to learners and their families. In Louisville, there is a strong understanding of the connection between adult education and workforce development, as well as substantial involvement by the business community.
However, other partnerships noted that local businesses did not seem to see the connections among adult education, workforce development, and a thriving community, so they were not very involved. Others ran into difficulty when they placed workers who were not appropriate for the jobs with local employers; they say they've learned their lesson and are now more careful in their placements. Other partnerships, like those in Minneapolis and Barberton, have not yet crafted a role for business partners. They recognize that their ultimate goal for their clients is employment and self-sufficiency, but they are currently focused on meeting more immediate needs for basic literacy, independent living skills, financial assistance, and family healthcare through their education and social services partners. |
