December 4th: Creating Pipelines to Quality Jobs: It Takes a Village

The best pipelines are streamlined and straightforward, yet able to nimbly maneuver around barriers. They’re built with careful cross-sector coordination to help valuable resources quickly reach their destination. 

How can adult educators replicate these best practices to create pipelines that successfully connect workers to quality jobs?  

The stakes are high to get this right: Amidst growing concerns of worker shortages and skills gaps, it will take a village to patch the leaks in our current workforce development pipelines. We’re missing large swaths of high-potential talent pools, including speakers of languages other than Englishs, people with disabilities, veterans,  and adults who have followed non-traditional educational pathways. And too often our pipelines get snagged on barriers like English proficiency, unnecessary degree requirements, and a lack of coordination between employers and training providers. Too few job seekers are reaching their final destination: quality jobs in high-demand sectors.  

There is good news: We know how to  effectively connect job seekers and incumbent workers to workforce opportunities. 

Based on positive audience feedback at the CAEL Annual Conference in October, we’re reconvening an expanded version of a panel to discuss how all of us – adult educators, apprenticeship coordinators, workforce development leaders, employers and community-based organizations – have a role to play in building programs and partnerships that result in more effective workforce pipelines.

Moderator:

Katie Brown, Founder and Chief Education Officer, EnGen

As founder and chief education officer of EnGen, a Certified B Corporation, Katie is pioneering a personalized, career-aligned, mobile-first approach to English upskilling and partnering with higher education, public, and private sector stakeholders to advance immigrant workforce inclusion across the U.S.

Speakers:

René Bryce-Laporte, Director, Member Services, Apprenticeships for America

René is an experienced advocate, convener, facilitator, program designer, trainer, technical assistance provider and director of multi-site programs advancing social and economic opportunity for low-wealth individuals in America. 

Patrick Brown, Director, Adult Student Attainment Strategy, Michigan College Access Network

As the director of adult student attainment strategy, Patrick examines access, entry, and persistence points for adult learners across sectors. He also reviews policies, practices, programming, and professional learning that is needed to help them succeed.

Jane Oates, President, WorkingNation 

Jane is the Senior Policy Advisor and recent President for WorkingNation. She is a former U.S. Department of Labor official who has played a key role in WorkingNation’s mission to raise awareness about the challenges facing the American workforce.

Razell Ward, Assistant Director of Adult Education, Lewiston Public Schools

Razell is the Assistant Director of Adult Education for the Lewiston Public Schools.

Marcus Felder, Principal in Portfolio Operations at Blackstone

Marcus Felder is a Principal in Portfolio Operations at Blackstone. He leads Blackstone Career Pathways™, a program that aims to broaden the high-quality talent networks from which Blackstone portfolio companies recruit, develop and advance talent to help them build more representative workforces and inclusive cultures.