Intersect With Earl April 2024

by Earl Buford on Apr 11, 2024

Congratulations to our initiatives and solutions team, led by Dr. Beth Doyle, senior vice president, for our partnership work with the state of Indiana, which has launched its first-ever statewide policy guidance for credit for prior learning. The policy guidance sets forth a CPL value statement and supports consistency in critical facets of CPL, including program and service design, transcriptions and transferability, standards for assessing CPL, and community, workforce, and employer partnerships.

Considering that so many adult learners fall in the “some college, no degree” crowd, much of CAEL’s work, from CPL to workforce development, focuses on helping former postsecondary students resume pathways to credentials. Project Attain, a recent addition to the CAEL community via its membership with The Graduate! Network, is doing great work in this area. Its Comebacker program connects adult learners with individual counseling at no cost to them. The program helps guide them to certificate, degree, and apprenticeship programs through Sacramento’s K-16 partnership, which brings together educators, community organizations, and industry groups.

It's one thing to create jobs, and another thing to fill them. That has been a long-recognized challenge (and opportunity) facing plans to fund green industries. This article from WorkRise provides a good overview of issues, reminding us that it will take diverse, strategic partnerships to create access to the emerging jobs that will define the future of the energy sector.

Evidence of impact is always highly sought following funding opportunities. Two training programs launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic recently shared promising outcomes. Colorado’s Reskilling, Upskilling, and Next-skilling (RUN) program has enrolled almost 5,000 learners (and counting) in training for industry-recognized credentials. In Lincoln, Nebraska, the city reports that more than 700 residents have benefitted from reskilling or upskilling opportunities, including 300 who have completed a credential.

Grant opportunity: The National Institute of Standards and Technology is accepting applications for up to 15 awards, funded up to $200,000 each, for the Regional Alliances and Multi Stakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development program. Eligible applicants include accredited institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations who are charged with establishing community-based partnerships that develop cybersecurity career pathways that address local workforce needs across multiple employers with skill shortages in specific occupations. CAEL’s extended pathway work and employer convening and facilitation could be an effective tool in your work. If you wish to explore how CAEL can support your design, please reach out to Christina Gaetano at cgaetano@cael.org. Apply by May 24.

CAEL member mention: South Louisiana Community College and the Lafayette Economic Development Authority are partnering to develop a workforce training program that will support key regional industries. An $885,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration is supporting the partnership.

Regional Convening: I hope you can join us in Atlanta on April 25-26 for our 2024 Thriving Communities and Economic Mobility Regional Summit. I will be joined by several astute leaders and colleagues who will share their experience in developing a more effective and equitable education-to-workforce system for adult learners and workers. Learn more about our speakers.

Interested in learning more about CAEL memberships? Please visit us, and always feel free to contact us with questions or comments on any topic at cael@cael.org.