Intersect With Earl February 2025

by Earl Buford on Feb 13, 2025

As policymakers and practitioners alike ponder the ramifications of new federal priorities, the process can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, the work the CAEL community performs every day at the intersections of learning and work creates ample opportunities to support holistic economic mobility in ways that transcend partisanship. From improved engagement with older learners and workers to a cross-sector regional convening to a new partnership with Apprenticeships for America, we continue to focus on what’s most important – working together with our partners to support the adult learners and workers they serve. You’ll find some recent examples below.

A wealth of experience hidden in plain sight: Fortunately, most educators today recognize adult learners as a valuable and unique student demographic rather than aggregating them within a vague “nontraditional student” category. Unfortunately, older adults are often overlooked or disregarded within our workforce ecosystem. With the support of AARP, CAEL is releasing a series of policy briefs dedicated to better serving this subpopulation of adult learners and workers. The first two, Leveraging a Lifetime of Knowledge: How Credit for Prior Learning Can Help Older Adults and Veterans and Aging Workforce, Rising Potential: Policy and Employer Action for Older Workers, are now available in CAEL’s research collection. The final in the series, which will be released later this quarter, will review state policies for improving access to postsecondary education and training. Thanks to Rachel Hirsch for leading this project, and to her colleagues Bridgett Strickler and Rafael Pasillas for their many contributions. We also are grateful for the support of AARP in calling attention to the importance of older adults to educators and employers.

Regional Convening: I hope you can join us in San Diego for our upcoming Regional Convening on March 12. Much like our annual conference, the event will be a cross section of the CAEL community, bringing together professionals from across the education-employment ecosystem to share best practices and details about upcoming opportunities. The keynote speaker will be Laura Dawson Ullrich, director, Community College Initiative, at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. She will be joined by several other experts who will share their expertise and perspectives on key issues in education, training, and workforce development. Preceding the event will be a special in-person gathering, open to all who wish to register for it, of our Military Community of Practice. Don’t miss out!

A new partnership adds new and exciting benefits for CAEL and AFA Members: Apprenticeships are a natural fit within CAEL’s approach to linking learning and work, and I’m excited to share with you that CAEL is partnering with Apprenticeships for America (AFA) to enhance the member benefits for both organizations. Details for members will be available soon.

Catering to Comebackers: More “reconnect” efforts are making an impact around the country. For example our fellow Strada Collaborative member InsideTrack is helping adult learners reengage with college in California. In Tennessee, the Higher Education Commission is reporting great results with Navigate Reconnect coaches, who help adults over 25 access college coaching and advising resources. It’s great to see the increasing support for Comebackers, a longtime priority within CAEL’s mission.

Build Better Careers, DMV edition: In January, CAEL expanded the Build Better Careers operational network to include the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia area (DMV). Our work there is made possible by a partnership with Employ Prince George's, Inc., and is helping to power a wave of new offerings EPG announced to support DMV residents.

CAEL Member Mention: Congratulations to Mississippi State University and East Mississippi Community College for forming the MSU at the Communiversity partnership. The Communiversity will offer workforce training tailored to support advanced manufacturing throughout Mississippi and is part of the broader Advancements in Manufacturing Upskilling Program, or AiM UP.

Grant opportunity: The Spencer Foundation's Small Research Grants on Education Program supports rigorous, intellectually ambitious, and technically sound education research projects that aim to improve education. Proposals are field-initiated, welcoming diverse topics, disciplines, and methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, ethnographies, and participatory research. Projects can have budgets up to $50,000. PIs and Co-PIs must hold an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or professional field and must be affiliated with a non-profit organization or public/governmental institution willing to serve as the administering organization for the grant. Applications open in February and close in April 2025. Visit https://www.spencer.org for more information.