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Workplace
Planning Profiles
CENTER
FOR LITERACY
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date
of Interview: 1991
The
Center for Literacy (CFL) is a large, multi-service educational
organization, which has served 2,000 adult learners every year.
Its services range from tutoring programs for basic skills students
to classes for adults at higher levels and those seeking the
graduate equivalency degree (GED). English as a second language
classes are also offered. Approximately one-third of the instructional
hours are provided by volunteers, the rest by paid teachers.
Slightly more than halves of CFL's students learn in group settings.
The rest receive one-to-one tutoring.
CFL's
workplace education program was initiated in 1986, when a long-range
planning committee set a goal of providing instructional programs
to address the needs of undereducated workers. The program enrolls
150 to 200 new students every year. Educational programs were
designed specifically for each workplace. Almost all workplace
instruction is provided in group settings by CFL teachers.
A
CFL brochure describes the following services to employers:
Assessment
of the skills needs of employees, including assessments developed
for use in CFL community programs and assessments prepared for
specific worksites
Instruction
by professional teachers in basic reading, writing, speaking
and math skills, skills review, and GED preparation. Instruction
is available for native and non-native English speakers
Development
of programs in cooperation with management and labor
Coordination
of learner recruitment, including assistance with developing
recruitment materials and messages
Education
of workplace managers about functional illiteracy and its impact
t on their organization. Managers learn how to identify employees
who may be having problems and to refer them for instruction
Types
of Programs
CFL
has two types of workplace literacy programs; generic and job-specific.
The kind of program offered at a specific worksite depends on
the goals of the employer and the needs of the potential learners.
Sometimes programs in both categories are provided at the same
worksite.
Generic
Literacy Programs. Generic programs focus primarily on raising
basic skill; employees then apply those skills to their jobs.
CFL
has developed generic literacy programs for many different kinds
of employers. One company wanted to help employees who were
being laid off to gain the literacy skills they needed to seek
and hold a new job. A financial institution, faced with a shortage
of skilled labor, worked with CFL to offer GED and skills review
classes in math and English to bring employees' skill levels
up to job requirements.
The
employees of a large urban hospital asked hospital administrators
for help in raising their skill levels high enough to qualify
for admission to the hospital's employee training programs.
The hospital's director of training turned to CFL for help in
developing a program. Within a year, two CFL teachers working
on a part-time basis were offering four classes at the hospital:
two general skills classes, and English as a second language
class, and one GED class.
Job-Specific Literacy Programs. Job-specific literacy programs
integrate basic skills instruction with the knowledge needed
to perform specific jobs. Lesson plans and instructional materials
are built around vocabulary and concepts employees need to improve
job effectiveness.
Clothing
Factory
When
CFL was asked to start a workplace literacy program at a small
clothing factory, it first appeared that the employees would
benefit from adult basic education classes. (*The majority of
the employees who responded to the opportunity to learn were
Hispanic. Although they were seasoned garment workers, a literacy
audit revealed that many of them lacked a firm grasp of English
workplace vocabulary and were unaware of their rights and responsibilities
as workers.
The
teacher assigned to develop the program interviewed employees,
managers, and union representatives to find out what they wanted
the program to accomplish. Employees wanted to improve their
English vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Managers wanted
employees to understand directions and be able to answer questions.
They also wanted employees to improve their reading and writing
skills enough that the company could promote from within. The
union wanted its members to be informed of their rights and
aware of union issues and history.
The
teacher developed an assessment tool to determine the extent
of the employees' knowledge in the identified areas of need.
The assessment showed that some prospective learners did not
know the English words for such basic workplace vocabulary as
needle and thread. Others did not know the function of the shop
steward or that workers earned time-and-a-half for overtime.
Assessments
and interviews also showed that prospective learners were at
three different levels of language skills. Some needed to learn
to speak and/or read English, while others needed to practice
the skills they already had.
The
curriculum was developed in response to the identified needs.
Besides information gathered from assessments and interviews,
the teacher observed employees at work and developed instructional
materials that included common words and phrases used on the
job. Because learners at all levels wanted to improve their
English pronunciation, lesson plans included many opportunities
for talking and group reading.
When
the materials were ready, 10 learners began meeting during their
lunch hour twice a week for six months. The first of the class''
four study units focused on workplace vocabulary, grammar, and
pronunciation. Learners were provided with worksheets and vocabulary
lists, and the worksite itself provided a wealth of learning
opportunities.
Learners
practiced the names of colors and fabric designs by performing
model dialogues using swatches of materials, thread, and needles.
New technology being adopted by the company provided the content
of a grammar lesson. A map of the worksite labeled according
to the work carried out in each area was used to introduce new
vocabulary. This lesson also included a tour of the workplace.
Machine parts, materials, and other objects learners brought
to class were the basis of another vocabulary lesson.
The
second study unit was built around reading the company's employee
handbook aloud. Both teachers and learners read, giving learners
an opportunity to sharpen pronunciation skills. The class discussed
vocabulary and idioms used in the handbook, and they completed
vocabulary worksheets based on the readings. The handbook also
co0ntained material that lent itself to introducing other knowledge
areas. Handbook material on employee sick time, for example,
led naturally to performing patient-doctor dialogues.
Excellent
relationships between union and management permitted the inclusion
of a study unit of Sidney Hillman, one of the founders of the
union to which the learners belonged. Learners read aloud, as
a whole group or in pairs, a short biography written especially
for the class. Hillman's life story, his experiences as an immigrant
and a speaker of English as a second language, and the events
and philosophy that guided his union activities suggested many
discussion topics. Learners were also provided with worksheets
stressing vocabulary and comprehension. More advanced learners
were assigned to write a paragraph about the union or about
famous men and women from their native countries.
The
last study unit was organized around developing a class newsletter.
Learners were asked to observe how their union and company newspaper
and the local daily paper are organized. After exercises that
lead them through an analysis of the elements of an article,
learners chose the topics they would like to write about and
spent three class periods researching and writing their articles.
Drafts of every article were distributed for class editing then
rewritten by their authors. The newsletter was then published
in a final form and, with the agreement of the authors, distributed
to other company employees.
Class
participants improved their job-specific vocabulary, conversational
skills, and confidence. As a result, communication with in the
company improved. When an opening for an operator of a computerized
sewing machine became available, a member of the class was able
to fill the position. A GED component has been added to the
program, serving ESL students and other interested employees.
Housing
Rehabilitation Program
CFL
also developed a job-specific program in cooperation with a
nonprofit community-based organization serving one of the city's
poorest neighborhoods. The program helped trainees in a housing
rehabilitation program acquire a basic, working vocabulary of
the building trades.
The
teacher read how-to manuals and listened to trained plumbers,
electricians, and carpenters to find out what terminology they
actually used on the job. They then incorporated it into instructional
materials and lesson plans. Lessons complemented each day's
construction tasks. Through daily contact with the construction
manager, the teacher determined whether on-the-job problems
were related to the worker's inability to read and understand
directions. If so, lesson plans were adjusted to enable workers
to develop the language skills needed to improve their performance.
Other
Programs
As
the community organization develops new projects to meet neighborhood
needs, CFL prepares curriculums to complement them. In a more
recent project, neighborhood residents are organizing a housing
cooperative, and CFL is developing the new classes and materials
the workers will need to gain the literacy skills that will
help them accomplish their goals.
Administrative Support
CFL's
careful, ongoing administrative support undergirds its diverse
workplace literacy initiative. Support services include program
planning, supervision, fundraising, and public relations.
Substantial
administrative effort is required to plan new workplace literacy
efforts. CFL administrators help employers and union representatives
understand what a workplace program can and cannot accomplish,
clarify their own program goals, and come to agreement about
what they want their program to be. Decisions must then be made
about who the program will reach, and how, where, and when instruction
will be delivered. When these decisions are finalized, CFL sends
the employer a letter specifying the services that will be offered
and reasons for them.
Almost
half of the employers in CFL's workplace program pay a fee for
the services provided. Fees cover the cost s of teacher time,
teacher supervision, and instructional materials. To make the
program self-supporting, the fees must also cover the costs
of initial pre-program planning and other administrative expenses.
The
Center for Literacy has sought and received state-administered
adult education grants for the innovative, job-specific programs
described above. When curriculum development is part of a planned
project, proposals are submitted under Section 353 of the Adult
Education Act. Section 321 funding can be used for the operating
expenses of ongoing programs.
A
citywide literacy coordinating body, in which CFL participates,
has helped to promote workplace literacy programming. CFL also
generates publicity for its workplace services. Besides preparing
a brochure describing these services, the organization includes
workplace programming information along with general public
communications messages.
CFL's
workplace services have been described in the chamber of commerce
publication and highlighted in feature stories about the organization.
The program has been presented at a regional meeting of the American
Society of Training and Development, whose membership includes
industry-based educators. CFL board members representing the corporate
sector also help build awareness of the workplace services.
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