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The
Planning Steps
Step1:
Decide if You Should Offer Workplace Services
The
initial decision to provide literacy services for companies
in your community must be based on careful consideration of
accurate information. Listed below are important points of research
and discussion that will help your board of directors work through
this decision.
Develop
a list of reasons
As
a board, discuss your reasons for wanting to provide workplace
literacy services. For example, do you want to reach a new group
of learners? Do you want to launch new curriculums of instructional
models that may not fit in the on going community program? Do
you want to develop an income-generating project to help support
the organization? Do you want to meet an important community
need?
Discuss
the organization's mission
Determine
whether or not workplace literacy fits the organization's mission
and goals. If not, does this rule out developing workplace literacy
programs? Can the mission and/or goals be amended?
Appoint
a feasibility committee
Appoint
a committee to investigate the feasibility of providing workplace
literacy services to companies in your community. The committee
will look for answers to the following questions:
What
workplace literacy services are already available in the community?
Is there an unmet need for such services?
Does
your organization have something unique to offer companies that
other literacy providers might not?
What
resources--personnel, time, and money--can your organization
commit to a workplace literacy program?
How
will your organization need to change or adapt its current methodology,
curriculum, and training?
What
would be the benefits to your organization of providing workplace
literacy instruction? (Examples of benefits might be: new sources
of income; your organization's increased visibility in the community;
the experience your organization would gain addressing other
special literacy needs; new sources of volunteers; new ways
to reach unserved learners.) What would be the drawbacks? (Examples
of drawback might be: resources diverted from the core program;
sharing of control of program decisions about methods, materials
and training; time needed for planning and adapting existing
program to meet new situations.) What start-up funds, if any,
would be necessary?
Sources
for answers to these questions include the local chamber of commerce,
the local private industry council, other education providers,
other volunteer-based literacy organizations doing workplace literacy,
and labor organizations. Once this information has been gathered,
the board can make an informed decision about whether to proceed.
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