Louisiana Conference Discussion

I had the extreme good fortune of facilitating three lively LINCS presentations at the recent LAPCAE Conference in New Orleans.  We spent time sharing information about learner persistence, the ICA curriculum and the Employability Skills Framework.  If folks have any questions or concerns about any of the information presented or would just like to continue to converse, let's do it here!

 

 

 

Comments

Thanks for sharing your work in New Orleans, KayLynn.  The Employability Skills Framework  is a great resource for all adult educators.  I'm curious to know more about how your participants engaged with the framework?  How they're using it, or think it could be used in programs to develop learners' career awareness?

Best,

Mike Cruse

Career Pathways Moderator

michaelcruse74@gmail.com

We talked about the framework as a foundation and common language for workforce preparation in both IET and other programs.  We shared ideas about embedding these skills into instruction rather than stand alone and recognized that sometimes creating awareness to these skills and how they might look on the job is what works for the limited amount of time that we have students in our programs.

Hi KayLynn,

I'd love to see any resources you shared. Can you link us to them? What were the concerns programs had as it relates to embedding workplace skills and how can we address their concerns? 
Thanks for sharing.

Kathy 

One way to build employability skills awareness is to repeatedly connect the skills and formats routinely practiced in class to workplace skills. For example, doing group work - "You're collaborating - working together in a group to accomplish a task. How could this prepare you for a future job?" In relation to academic skills - "We're calculating fractions. What kinds of jobs might use this same skill?" When this is done frequently, students begin to see the connections between academic work and careers, whether or not the class is IET. 

Thanks for your comment, Ellen.  You're so right in your thinking, and I especially appreciate your observation that 'students begin to see the connections between academic work and careers, whether of not the class is IET'. (Integrated Education & Training) What are other ways that educators are incorporating these connections in their ABE and ESL courses?

Mike Cruse

Career Pathways Moderator

michaelcruse74@gmail.com

Susan, I'm glad you mention this population of learners who don't yet have any formal job experience.  I also look for ways to connect what these learners have done in terms of taking care of family members, housework, volunteer/service hours, etc.  Often those without formal work experience feel like they are unprepared for the world of work, but in reality they have a lot of life experiences to draw on that are directly related to the working world.  Helping them to see these connections, or 'transferrable skills', helps build their confidence and their work awareness.

I also image that educators working with learners who have been incarcerated for extended periods of time would benefit from using this framework.  These learners, too, often feel like they are unprepared for employment outside of a correctional facility.  The framework can help them to prepare for this new work environment, and the different social skills required to find and maintain competitive employment.

Best,

Mike Cruse

Career Pathways Moderator

michaelcruse74@gmail.com

We require our participants to prepare a resume at the beginning of their time with us. For participants without formal employment, it creates an opportunity for us to talk with them about their life skills and how they apply as employability skills. The mother who has done bookkeeping for a spouse's contractor business. The mother of 5 children who manages schedules and household. We can show them in their first days with us that even without paid employment they have value in the workplace.