Employment

Gaining a foothold on a career path is a goal that too often eludes many adult workers. Lack of higher education and skills often results in either unemployment or low-paying, dead-end jobs.

In fact, jobs that require additional skills and more than a high school diploma—such as those held by medical technicians, electricians, and nurses—constitute nearly 50 percent of all current employment and will continue to account for a large percentage of jobs in the future.

In fact, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, the economy is estimated to create 47 million job openings: 14 million new jobs and 33 million job openings to replace retiring baby boomers. Two-thirds of these jobs require at least some postsecondary education or training. Yet there are simply not enough skilled workers to meet the demand for these positions.

The current system for educating and preparing low-skilled, low-income adults does not meet the needs of employers or workers. Too often workers who pursue skill upgrades get stuck in courses that never lead to a credential or better job, and too often employers find that workforce programs are not able to adapt quickly enough to their changing requirements.

In 2006, Joyce sought to fundamentally change and improve state policies to help adult workers earn credentials that employers value. The initiative, Shifting Gears—a multi-year, multi-million dollar policy and systems change effort in six states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin)—was designed to strengthen adult education and skill-development systems so that more low-skilled workers gain the education, skills, and credentials they need to advance and succeed in a changing economy.

Within each of the states, Shifting Gears participants have sought to catalyze policy change by building on local innovation and testing promising strategies in education and training for low-skilled adult workers.

For example, in Illinois, innovative organizations—like Instituto del Progreso Latino—have worked to help participants improve both basic academic and occupational skills that will lead to good paying jobs. This ‘bridge program’ integrates basic skills development and occupational instructions in key sectors like manufacturing and health care. Such programs are being used as models for change as state agencies look to shape future workforce policies in Illinois.

Now, Illinois is seeking to implement these bridge programs in every community within the next two years. “The strength of Illinois’ workforce is dependent on the availability and accessibility of programs that help adult workers gain the education and skills they need,” said Jennifer Foster, senior director for Adult Education and Family Literacy for the State of Illinois. “The policies we have established will not only make our workers stronger, but will help our state’s economy thrive.”

Shifting Gears partners have also worked closely with employers, bringing them to the table, to help identify skills needed for jobs, review curriculum, define credentials, and map requirements for career advancement. Ensuring education programs are aligned with employer needs will help eliminate shortages of adequately prepared workers and allow their businesses and, ultimately, bottom lines to grow.

In addition to working within the states, Shifting Gears leaders continue to work collaboratively across the Great Lakes region. Its Web site www.shifting-gears.org has acted as a clearinghouse for workforce practitioners and provided immediate access to national resources, examples of pioneering Midwest workforce development programs, and information about promising policies and practices across the nation.

As a result, the new paths Shifting Gears states have charted are gaining attention at the federal level. As the national discussion around workforce policy reform develops, state and federal leaders are turning to Shifting Gears participants for solid examples of state and local innovation on education and training issues.