APPENDIX B: PARTNERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
The Midlands Literacy Initiative (MLI) and its partners in Newberry, Fairfield, Lexington, and Richland Counties, South Carolina

The Midlands Literacy Initiative is a business-driven partnership that works closely with local employers to design instruction for current and potential employees. The MLI performed a job-skills assessment for local industries, identified the skills most in demand for entry-level employees, and developed a twelve-week modular work skills curriculum that can be tailored to specific industries. Instructors take materials directly from the businesses themselves to adapt each MLI unit. Pre- and post-tests and unit quizzes are aligned with the curriculum, and employees completing the course earn certificates detailing the skills they have mastered. More than 30 local businesses helped design the MLI Workplace Skills Curriculum, and one local employer restructured its entire training program based on the MLI model.