Champion Adult English Learners, Boost Apprenticeship Pipelines, Power Local Economies

Three Lessons from Lewiston, Maine

 By Katie Brown, PhD

Apprenticeships nimbly connect workers with jobs in high-demand fields while also boosting employers’ bottom lines. Apprenticeship graduates can expect to earn an average salary of $80,000, well above the U.S. average. And federal data points to a 44.3% return for employers in the form of reduced hiring costs and increased productivity, big wins in a workforce that struggles with hiring and skills gaps.

The math makes sense. So why is the U.S. apprenticeship pipeline a trickle at best?

“Talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not,” says Razell Ward, assistant director of Lewiston Adult Education, a program that serves learners from 57 countries who speak 43 languages in Maine’s Androscoggin County.

Maine has the highest median age and one of the lowest birth rates in the country. Lewiston-area newcomers are 15% more likely than their U.S.-born counterparts to be of working age, which holds great potential for the local economy — if local employers can connect with this talent pool.

Yet in Lewiston and across the country, English barriers keep newcomers and adult English learners from successfully accessing local workforce development programs, including apprenticeships. Even as 1 in 10 working-age adults in the U.S. is an English learner, the workforce system serves the needs of just 4% of these learners.

Lewiston is determined to fill the gap. In 2023, Ward launched an innovative pre-apprenticeship program that integrates English skills and career skills, connecting adult English learners with high-demand careers as Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs).

The pre-apprenticeship program equips learners with a valuable combination of English skills, digital literacy, and industry-recognized credentials — and has placed more than 35 highly qualified candidates in roles with local health employers, with 28 more in the upcoming cohort.

 “They love the students. Once one employer saw the potential, others jumped on,” says Ward. “There’s now a friendly competition — who’s going to get to hire them.”

The program is bolstering Lewiston’s local health care sector — and holds promise to scale to other communities. Ward shares three insights for adult educators interested in replicating Lewiston’s success.

1/ Prioritize access and impact.

Realizing that working adults are pulled in many directions, Lewiston’s program was designed to maximize learners’ time invested in the program. Classes meet three days per week, giving participants time to work or tend to caregiving duties on off days. And each level of the three-part, six-month pathway results in an industry-recognized credential.

Participants earn certification in bloodborne pathogens (BBP) and as a personal support specialist (PSS) before they sit for the CNA exam, part of an intentional design that Ward calls “one-entry, many exits.” To date, 85% of participants have completed the full CNA training, but the program is designed to ensure success at each level.

“If someone didn’t want to or isn’t able to go any further, they can walk out and get a full-time job after at any level,” explains Ward.

2/ Recognize English skills as workforce skills.

Apprenticeship programs equip participants with career and technical skills. Lewiston takes an expanded view of workforce skills, and integrates English instruction directly into the curriculum, along with other priorities like digital literacy and workforce readiness.

“Many of our learners were doctors, nurses, dentists in their home countries. They offer incredible experience to U.S. employers,” explains Ward. “We designed our program to respond to barriers like language, U.S.-based work skills, and expectations of local employers.”

Lewiston has tapped EnGen, a mobile-first English upskilling platform, to augment its pre-apprenticeship curriculum. Career-aligned courses like “English for Certified Nursing Assistants” combine relevant English vocabulary with real-world job scenarios like taking vitals and safely moving patients. EnGen’s technology-mediated instruction also boosts learners’ digital literacy: 85% of learners say their digital skills have improved as a result of using the platform.

 3/ Create value for local employers.

Federal data points to a 90% retention rate for employers who participate in apprenticeships, yet many companies struggle to figure out where to start in building these programs or recruiting high-potential candidates. Lewiston’s model is filling the gap by connecting local employers with a workforce that is prepared for success.

Once Lewiston learners pass their CNA exam, employers hire them and continue to support them via one-year apprenticeships. The arrangement gives employers an opportunity to train their workforce; apprentices learn on-the-job skills in a structured way, working with a mentor who tracks hours invested in specific topics.

Lewiston launched the program with one employer partner; the program now works with six local hospitals, clinics, and long-term care providers. And in the time since program launch, all of Lewiston’s CNA apprenticeships are still working with local employers. This strong retention is a boon for an industry with exceptionally high turnover rates.

“All of our grads are still working in the sector. They love it,” Ward says.

 Moving Forward

Building on the success of its CNA pre-apprenticeship program, Lewiston Adult Education has extended its pre-apprenticeship models to the education and finance sectors, offering pathways for local adult English learners to connect with high-demand careers and local employers.

“It may take a bit longer to support a multilingual population on this pathway, but it is so very worth it in the end. Employers are realizing that their local communities are changing and that their recruitment and hiring practices need to reflect the communities they serve,” says Ward.

Katie Brown, PhD, is Founder and Chief Education Officer at EnGen, an English upskilling platform that partners with employers, adult educators, workforce development institutions, and government agencies to open pathways to careers and credentials in high-demand industries.