According to The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 70% of all jobs in Minnesota (2.1 Million jobs) will require some postsecondary training beyond high school in 2018.  The need to improve the services delivered to low-skilled adults is imperative, and requires collaboration from multiple agencies. 

For this reason, the Southwest ABE Consortium - composed of Granite Falls, Jackson, Worthington, and Marshall Consortia, and serving a total of 18 counties in Southwest Minnesota – is partnering with WEST ABE (serving communities in Wright, Benton, McLeod and Hennepin counties), St. Cloud ABE, Willmar ABE, St. Paul ABE, ISEEK solutions, and local Workforce Centers to include both practitioners and customers in the development of the tool. 

This tool will direct working learners toward education, training opportunities, and careers that fit their skills and interests.  The project will debut the new online tool in late 2011. As an affiliate of local Community Education, and as a State-approved Adult Basic Education (ABE) provider for the area, SW ABE provides the communities it serves with local ABE that is accessible and appropriate for the area’s needs. In this endeavor, the SW ABE provides educational opportunities to area adults wishing to acquire or enhance basic education skills. 

The ABE system has formally expanded its core mission to include transition to post-secondary goals for adult learners.   Working learners, a significant part of our communities, are individuals with low levels of literacy and in some cases, limited English speaking abilities. Also members of this group, and those with possibly the most potential in advancing, are those who have obtained their GED (General Education Development) certificates. 

Often a lack of vision and desire for long-range career planning are obstacles these working learners need to overcome if they are to realize and reach their highest potential. This online tool will be created for delivery to three different levels of learning.  Initially it will help to identify why working learners should have a career goal.  Learners stuck in a cycle of low-wage, entry-level jobs and joblessness make up the “working poor” in our communities. 

Encompassed in this group are limited English speaking workers, those with low literacy levels, and spans to include those with their GED who, without a vision of prosperity, also contribute to this group.  This is partially due to a lack of goals and long-range career planning, as well as a feeling of paralysis when it comes to facing challenges in a system where they already feel limited or no potential.  Career goals need to be more than just a discussion; they need to be laid out on a pathway that directly ties the learner with the steps needed to travel this pathway. 

This online tool will provide a visual pathway to move working learners toward economic prosperity. Through a Career Information Aptitude section, this online tool will show steps needed to achieve more education, better jobs and higher pay, and where one’s career path can potentially lead should those steps be followed.  It will show the monetary gains that can be obtained by advancing one’s career and tie their learning level, skills and interests to possible jobs within their region.  Proceeding down this pathway will provide a specific link between education, job skills and advancing one’s career.  This web tool may initially be career related but will have the potential to integrate with higher educational options as a means of realizing more opportunities. 

This online tool will help learners work through a personal needs assessment and assist them in recognizing personal barriers.  Considering personal and life situations shows the direct correlation between reliable learners and employees to stable housing, transportation and environmental limits.  The online tool will look at how aptitudes and interests align with potential careers, provide advice and understanding of career pathways, and construct a tailored plan based on the working learner’s personal circumstances. There is a need for a comprehensive, simplistic, web advising tool that will help these low-skilled working learners identify and create long-range career goals. 

The Mission of the Otto Bremer Foundation is, “…To assist people in achieving full economic, civic and social participation in and for the betterment of their communities.” (www.ottobremer.org)  Developing this tool will provide informational access between Adult Basic Education, Workforce Centers and Community Based Organizations thereby giving a comprehensive approach for working learners to utilize this tool at many locations.  Creating a fundamental belief in striving for and accomplishing career goals will lead to things such as: economic self-sufficiency, increased self-esteem, independence, personal advancement and an increased quality of life.  We are honored to have received this grant and look forward to of producing this online tool. 

We would like to acknowledge the Otto Bremer Foundation for making this possible.