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Workplace
Planning Profiles
WORKFORCE
LITERACY ASSOCIATION
Greenville Literacy Association
Greenville, South Carolina
Date
of Interview: 1993
The
Greenville Literacy Association (GLA) is a private, nonprofit
literacy program providing volunteer tutoring services to adults
living in Greenville County, South Carolina. Greenville County
has a population of about 250,000. GLA served 1,645 basic literacy
and ESL students in 1991.
GLA
works in partnership with South Carolina's Initiative for Work
Force Excellence to provide literacy services to adults employed
in local businesses and industries. The Greenville Initiative
was launched in 1989, and by 1992 GLA was serving 419 employees
from 31 local companies. The South Carolina Initiative funds
a workforce specialist who assists Greenville employers to develop
literacy programs, and links employers with educational service
providers who can meet their needs.
GLA
is one of three local service providers with whom the workforce
specialist links local employers. GLA provides one-to-one tutoring
for workforce participants who read below the fifth grade level.
The public adult education program and the state technical college
provide group work for those ready for more advance learning
programs.
GLA
integrates employee-learners into its overall community program.
They are tutored in reading and math by community volunteers.
Tutoring is provided not only at GLA's own 12 private tutoring
rooms and five small classrooms but also at libraries, churches,
and other sites out in the community. (In general, GLA does
not provide tutoring services at the workplace.) Employee-learners
can take advantage of all of GLA's services and programs, including
its computer and learning machine laboratories and its student
support group.
GLA's
workforce literacy program has a high retention rate. After
its first three years of existence, 80 percent of all employees
who enrolled in the GLA workforce program were either still
studying there or had transferred to more advanced programs.
South
Carolina Initiative for Work Force Excellence
South
Carolina's Initiative for Work Force Excellence was launched
by the governor in 1988 to raise the skills of the state's workforce
and improve its ability to compete in national and global markets.
Based in the state's technical colleges, sixteen workforce education
specialist work with employers in their respective regions.
The specialists recruit employers into the program and assist
them in identifying their training goals. They design educational
programs that will achieve those goals, and help employers develop
working relationships with educational service providers.
Greenville-area
employers were introduced to the program at a luncheon sponsored
by Initiative for Work Force Excellence. The area workforce
specialist then contacted plant managers or chief executive
officers by phone to arrange to discuss the program in more
detail. The governor's well-publicized support of the program
helped facilitate those appointments. After a company's executive
officer indicated interest in adopting the program, the workforce
specialist met with other staff to tailor the program to the
employer's specific needs.
The
workforce specialist also helps cultivate the support of company
managers. He or she meets with all managers from the top levels
to first-level supervisors. The goal is to build the managers'
awareness and understanding of employee educational needs.
The
workforce specialist is also responsible for recruiting employee-learners.
Recruitment meetings of about 30 minutes are scheduled at the
employer's convenience. Employees are told that skills training
is an employee benefit. It is an avenue to self-improvement
and increased job security as well as a way to prepare for future
workplace demands. The specialist also describes the three educational
programs available to learners.
Each
employee who attends the recruitment meeting is given a simple
yes-or-no sign-up form. If employees want more time to think
about the opportunity, they are asked to return the form within
two working days.
An
initial assessment of employee skill levels is conducted by
the workforce specialist. Employees who want skills training
take the TABE locator, a 37-minute vocabulary and math assessment
tool that identifies which service providers can best meet each
employee's needs. Employers are shown a curve of their employees'
TABE scores, but individual scores are known only by the workforce
specialist, the employee, and the educational service provider.
After
the employer has established a working relationship with the
service providers, the workforce specialist remains available
to facilitate the relationship and to assist the employer in
evaluating program results as needed.
Learner
Placement
A
member of GLA staff meets with every employee whose TABE score
indicates a need for basic skills instruction. Meetings usually
take place at the worksite. Forty of fifty people from one company
may become ready for placement at the same time, so timely placement
of learners with tutors often requires a concentrated effort.
Employees
are given the Slosson Oral Reading Test to check the results
of the TABE assessment. The GLA program manager (with help from
other GLA staff, if necessary) then interviews employees to
determine their goals and interests, the times and places they
are available for tutoring, and other information needed to
match employees with appropriate tutors.
Volunteer
tutors are recruited for the workforce program at regular tutor
training workshops. GLA's workforce program manager attends
those companies whose employees are being tutored. To preserve
confidentiality, learners are rarely placed with volunteers
from their own place of employment, however.
Instructional
Program
The
core materials used in the 1993 GLA program are the Laubach
Way to Reading, the Laubach Way to English, Challenger Adult
Reading Series, and the first two levels of the Breakthrough
to Math series. Students are also encouraged to bring workplace
materials that can be incorporated into their lessons. The program
manager works with tutors to suggest approaches and materials
useful for specific students. GLA's computer learning lab, which
supplements the core materials, is popular with workforce learners
who work at companies adopting computer technology.
When
they have completed GLA's basic skills programs, students are
encouraged to enroll in more advanced courses offered by the
public adult education program or the technical college. Some
employee-learners may also continue to learn through training
opportunities offered by their companies adopting computer technology.
When
they have completed GLA's basic skills programs generally maintain
contact with their tutor for the next six months. Sometimes
they continue one-to-one tutoring sessions once a week while
they are beginning classes at the adult education program or
the technical college. More often contact is informal, with
tutors making themselves available to offer support and encouragement
until the learner is comfortable in the new learning environment.
The
public adult education program offers adult education classes
at GLA headquarters, enabling learners to keep in touch with
GLA staff and provides them with a sense of continuity in their
educational program.
Learner
Motivation
Several
factors contribute to GLA's high retention rate. First, the
program attracts adults who are highly motivated to learn. Most
are between the ages of 35 and 55, and a large majority have
been employed for five years or more. These seasoned workers
are well aware of the relationship between their literacy skills
and their future employment prospects. One-third are employed
in the local textile industry, which is undergoing rapid technological
change. Others work for chemical manufacturers, hospitals, local
city or county agencies, and other employers who place a premium
on literacy skills.
Another
factor in maintaining motivation is the ongoing contact between
employee-learners and GLA's overall program. The workforce program
manager talks with learners by telephone as they complete milestones
in their educational program. A student support group, GLA publications,
and awards events held at GLA program manager and worksite liaison
are infrequent contact to handle program logistics. In addition,
the worksite liaison helps recognize learner achievements, offers
encouragement and support and, when necessary, assists employees
in removing obstacles to learning.
Many
of the companies participating in the program reward employees
for volunteering to improve their basic skills. One company
offers $150 bonuses for each level of study completed; another
pays wages for some of the time spent in tutoring; another gives
pen and pencil sets to program participants. Tangible rewards
seem to have far less influence on learner progress than a positive
learner-tutor relationship does, however.
Organization
and Administration
The
GLA staff is organized to serve four different groups of students:
those learning English as a second language, those referred
by government agencies such as the department of social services,
those participating in the workforce program, and self-referred
students who do not fit into any of the other categories.
GLA's
workforce program is staffed by a full-time senior program manager
and a part-time program manager. The staff is responsible for
interviewing, placing, supporting and monitoring all employee-learners;
recruiting volunteers; maintaining contact with company-based
liaisons; and preparing reports to participating employers.
In addition, the senior manager participates in implementing
GLA's general public communications effort and other activities
that benefit the organizations as a whole.
Funding
Employers
pay $20 an hour for time that GLA staff spends at the worksite
interviewing employees and $50 a year for each employee enrolled.
The public adult education program contracts with GLA to provide
basic skills instruction and provides funding for each adult
who receives at least twelve hours of instruction a year. These
funding sources cover about two-thirds of the expense of serving
each employee-learner. The local United Way provides the major
share of the remaining support, and the balance comes from GLA"s
won fundraising efforts. The organization's board plays an active
role in raising funds from corporate and foundation sources
as well as from private donors.
Reporting
GLA
provides a quarterly report for each participating employer.
The report lists all employee-learners by name (so that they
can collect pay, bonus, or other compensation for time spent
in the program), the curriculum they are studying, the number
of instructional books they have completed, and the dates of
completion. This information is compiled from monthly reports
submitted by tutors.
Employers
also learn about the impact of the program from employees who
volunteer information on how the tutoring program has enabled
them to improve their job performance.
Employees
who are uncomfortable with a company-connected approach come
to the center on their own time and are classified by GLA as
walk-in students. These students are not included in reports
to companies.
Additional
Benefits
As
a result of the workforce education program, GLA has strengthened
its relationships with other local adult literacy service providers.
Because they have become better acquainted with GLA's capabilities
through the workforce program, the public adult education program
has become a new source of funding, contracting with GLA to
provide one-to-one services to basic literacy students.
The
workforce program has also changed public perceptions about
GLA. In the eyes of Greenville-area business and industry, GLA
is no longer just another worthy charitable organization. It
has become an important partner in a shared mission for improving
the quality of life in the community.
Date
of Interview: 1996
Some
six years after the workforce program's beginning, "Sam"
Sexaurer, its director since 1989, reports that numbers are
reduced. The program now serves approximately 200 students from
40 companies, down from 400 students/60 companies at its peak.
Money
is the major factor here. Government grants have been cut. Companies
now bear the entire cost of student participation in the program-
$100/yr/student. In addition, in mid-1995 the key position of
workforce specialist was phased out of the budge. Since then,
GLA has had to find the personnel and hours to act as its own
broker for services in the community.
Mrs.
Sexauer and the board of directors are not daunted, however;
in fact, she says their present goal is to "rebuild to
our former glory." The past six years have helped the program's
visibility, Mrs. Sexauer says, and GLA continues to enjoy a
strong partnership with the adult education and technical schools.
Companies in the program see that they are getting a lot for
their money, and creative ways are being found for forming partnerships
with new companies. Having received grants from companies and
other funds from United Way, GLA plans to have four new satellite
literacy centers up and running in Greenville County within
the next five years. This will assure that workforce students
can study in their home communities.
As
for the instructional program, ESL has become a larger focus
in GLA's workforce component. Small-group instruction, especially
in ESL. In more common at GLA than before. In response to requests
from literacy students, math and spelling classes have been
added to the curriculum, and writing classes will follow soon.
During
1995, 1,477 students were served by GLA. In January 1996. Approximately
700 adult students are enrolled. Tutor training is done by seven
trainers; three new members will be added to the training team
this year.
Mrs.
Sexauer sees workforce students succeeding in many ways. They
are keeping up with new methods of doing things at work. They
are able to pass the more stringent tests which some workplaces
now require. They are receiving salary increases and new positions.
They are going on to get their GED's, and a few students have
even started college.
She
also sees students giving back to the program--serving on the
board of directors, being public spokespersons for the program,
and publishing a book of their own writings. She and GLA's board
members see student involvement as a major key to student and
program success.
Mrs.
Sexauer offers the following guidelines to anyone thinking about
starting a workforce program:
Start
slowly. Don't think you have to do everything all at once. Begin
with one company and let things build according to the needs
you find there. Because the need for workplace literacy instruction
is so pervasive in general, one thing will lead to another quickly
enough!
Be
clear with the company. Find out what the company expects and
let them know exactly how you see your program can meet those
expectations.
Involve
as many people in a company's chain of command as possible.
Managers and supervisors at all levels must buy in to the program
for optimum results- and human resources people are especially
important, since someone in that department would typically
serve as the company contact person for the program.
Do
things in partnership as much as possible. Establish ongoing
partnerships with companies and other educators. This will ensure
that you will not be duplicating the efforts of others, and
that you will be serving real needs. Partnerships need to be
worked on continually so that you are always in touch with the
ever-changing picture in your community.
Call
"Sam" Sexauer at (803) 467-3554 if you would like to
discuss workforce literacy issues with her.
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