By DUANE M. ELLING
A new report suggests that the is losing valuable ground as a world leader in education and workforce development, and is at risk of being left behind in the global economy.
Reach Higher, America: Overcoming Crisis in the U.S. Workforce notes that soaring dropout rates among high school students and diminished literacy skills among adults are contributing to an increasingly ill-prepared labor market. And those deficiencies, the report asserts, are seriously undermining the nation’s economic future.
Jack Litzenberg is senior program officer in Mott’s Pathways Out of Poverty program.The report, produced by the National Commission on Adult Literacy, was released on June 26. Its findings are based on two years of study by the commission on trends, challenges and opportunities in adult education and workforce development in the
"Reach Higher, America" points to job readiness among U.S workers as a growing concern. Many careers that offer growth potential -- such as healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and alternative energy -- require employees to have increased competency in reading and writing, and at least some education or training beyond high school.
However, studies show that one in three young people in this country drop out of high school before earning their diploma, while nearly 30 million adults lack basic literacy skills.
Such imbalances are challenging the ability of the nation’s employers to compete in the global marketplace. And, notes Cheryl King, the current adult education and workforce development systems aren’t equipped to address the problem.
King served as study director for “Reach Higher, ” and is a former deputy secretary and commissioner of adult education and workforce development in.
She notes that there are an estimated 150 million workers ages 16 years and older in the, many of whom require adult education and workforce development services. However, the combined annual capacity of federal programs in these areas, such as dislocated worker initiatives and "one-stop" career centers, is about 3 million people.
The report, says King, lays groundwork for increasing the number of individuals served to 20 million a year by 2020.
“The strength and vitality of the labor market is absolutely key to the country’s economic health,” she says. “And it requires that every person have opportunities to earn the skills and experiences needed to succeed in the workplace.”
“Reach Higher,” calls for policies and partnerships at both the state and federal levels that:
- substantially increase the number of adults who earn high school diplomas or equivalent certifications;
- improve literacy skills among workers, including those for whom English is a second language;
- grow enrollment of adults in postsecondary education and job training activities, with particular focus on promising sectors of the labor market; and
- help workers already in the labor market strengthen and expand their basic skills.
Specific strategies highlighted in the report include expanding local access to workforce development services via schools, libraries and nonprofit and social service organizations, as well as Web-based resources. The report points to community colleges, which provide a third of the country’s adult instructional services, as “vital educational forces” that can help shape the nation’s labor market.
The report also notes the importance of redefining adult education to include such topics as interpersonal communication, critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork. And it highlights the role of the business, philanthropic and nonprofit communities in helping the country to rethink issues of education and workforce development, and invest in new approaches to worker training and advancement.
King notes that, while the tasks outlined by “Reach Higher,” may appear daunting to some, the long-term costs associated with adopting a “business as usual” approach to adult education and workforce development are truly alarming.
“We’re at a critical crossroads in this country,” she said. “The next steps we take on these issues will determine our economic standing, both at home and around the world, for decades to come.”
The Mott Foundation helped fund the "Reach Higher, America" report through a two-year, $200,000 grant in 2006 to the Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy, which administers the commission. William S. White, the Foundation's president, serves on the commission.