LearnmoreMN Blog

Bridging the skills-credential gap

By Anne Marie Leland, October guest blogger

Minnesota faces the reality that it needs to educate adults to help meet our future workforce needs. According to a recent study conducted by Georgetown University, Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018, 70% of Minnesota jobs will require education beyond high school by 2018. Yet today, only 40% of working-age adults in Minnesota have a postsecondary degree as stated in Minnesota Measures: 2009 Report on Higher Education Performance. Minnesota FastTRAC is one strategy to close the 30% postsecondary skills gap in Minnesota — it is among a set of complementary strategies the state will pursue to address the skill/credential gap.

Minnesota FastTRAC is a cross-agency initiative to increase adult postsecondary credential attainment in high demand occupations that lead to family-supporting wages. It is a pathway back-to-work strategy that integrates basic skills education, career-specific training, and support services to meet the needs of low-wage, educationally-underprepared adults. Each local FastTRAC program consists of a series of connected educational and training programs that allow low-skilled adults to advance over time to successively higher levels of education and employment in a given sector, from basic skills education to a postsecondary credential.

By addressing local skills gaps, FastTRAC programs work as effective supply chains for employers in need of skilled labor. This ensures that students have good job prospects once they finish their program. Currently, Minnesota has 27 operating FastTRAC programs throughout the state made up of partnerships of employers, Adult Basic Education, workforce development, and Minnesota State Community and Technical Colleges.

With collaboration among a wide array of public, nonprofit, and business stakeholders, the FastTRAC Initiative is beginning to change the way Minnesota approaches talent development for adults. Moreover, the FastTRAC approach is significantly more successful than traditional postsecondary education/training approaches for nontraditional adult learners: studies, such as Building Bridges to Postsecondary Training for Low-Skill Adults: Outcomes of Washington State’s I-BEST Program from the Community College Research Center, Teacher’s College, Columbia University, show that students in programs like FastTRAC are 29-35% more likely to earn a postsecondary credential.

Minnesota is already hearing from employers that FastTRAC works:

"In the health care industry where the majority of our staff are certified nursing assistants, this FastTRAC program has been a godsend. People who are unsure of their desire to do this type of work can get a feel for what it will be like. Those who perhaps have a limited job history or limited successful job history are coached and shown how to achieve success. Those who are successful now have an avenue to enter advanced training and get a taste of college courses.   

This is an indispensable program and the time, money and effort spent on it needs to be maintained. We find that those who have been through this program easily get through their crucial first year of employment, and those who have shown interest in the advanced training are usually 5 plus year employees."
—Deb Barnes, Administrator/Regional Director, Parker Oaks Communities, Elder Care of MN

What are other examples of how more Minnesota adults are successfully pursuing a postsecondary credential?

Middle schools: Strengthening the connection

By Sally Wherry, September guest blogger

Can we act on what we know? Research has identified the strong link between a student’s experience in the middle grades and the likelihood of graduating from high school (Balfanz). Specific risk factors for dropping out include course failures in math and/or reading, missing more than 20% of school time, and receiving poor behavior grades in a core class. Studies have also indicated that during the middle grades it is possible to identify up to 50% or more of eventual dropouts. Advances in technology now allow us to gather powerful information leading to targeted help for middle school students. And Minnesota has been responding with policies and programs to assist our middle schools.

Beginning in 2006, the Minnesota Legislature appropriated funding to reimburse districts for the cost of assessing 8th grade students with the ACT’s EXPLORE test and 10th grade students with the PLAN test. Aligned to the ACT, these assessments provide parents, students and teachers with valuable early college and career readiness benchmark information. Of the more than 40,000 Minnesota 8th graders who tested in 2010-2011, 40% of these students met three or four of the four readiness benchmarks, however 25% of those tested met none of them. Since the fall of 2008, MDE has trained over 700 counselors to use EXPLORE and PLAN data to promote college and career readiness. To apply a medical analogy, it’s not enough just to take your child’s temperature...appropriate treatment is necessary if he registers significantly above 98.6.

So what are we doing? We know that Minnesota’s student to counselor ratio is almost 800:1, making the implementation of additional support systems and networks critical. In order to assist every Minnesota middle school student to not only graduate from high school, but also be prepared to successfully pursue postsecondary education and career opportunities, we need to increase their awareness of the importance of the choices they make.

• When students choose a sequence of more rigorous courses, it opens up the widest variety of choices for colleges and careers. In 2010-2011, MDE launched a campaign to provide Minnesota 8th graders with information regarding college and career readiness in order to encourage more rigorous course-taking in high school, especially for students in underrepresented groups. This project provides information to students and parents in a variety of ways. Additionally, a framework of tools, resources, strategies and WebEx presentations related to the research-based core components of preparing students for postsecondary success has been developed for middle school educators.
• Ramp Up to Readiness a program of the University of Minnesota’s College Readiness Consortium, also aims to increase the number and diversity of students prepared for postsecondary success. Students develop personal postsecondary plans and are then supported by a multi-year framework of specific goals, steps, curriculum, rubrics, and an evaluation system. This program spans the middle school/junior high grades through high school, providing a much needed link.
• Beginning in 2006, MDE and McREL partnered with four Minnesota high schools, to launch a pilot program, the Minnesota Model of Systemic High School Redesign. Since then, working in collaboration with the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP), more than 86 principals and schools across Minnesota have become involved in training and networking. Middle school principals then indicated they desired an aligned model as well, so in 2010, MDE launched a middle level school redesign initiative. The goal of both of these efforts is to provide cost-effective, research-based support for our secondary schools, leading to increased success for all of our students.

A new opportunity for community involvement with middle school issues is coming up later this month. Consider attending a conference on Sept. 27 at TIES in St. Paul that aims to promote community and statewide collaboration leading to high school completion and postsecondary success. And of course, efforts to support our students do not begin and end at the doorstep of our schools. This month’s issue of Blueprints, MDE’s online high school newsletter, identifies additional collaborative efforts occurring across Minnesota.

We must combine and leverage our efforts to ensure that all Minnesota’s students not only graduate from high school, but are also effectively supported during their middle school years on the path leading to postsecondary readiness and success.

Citizens League takes on higher ed reform

By Lindsey Alexander, July guest blogger

In January, the Citizens League began a multi-phase project looking at higher education in Minnesota. Higher education, as we define it here, includes post-secondary education of any kind (certificate programs, two- and four-year programs, public, private, for-profit, etc.).

The initial research, conducted as part of the project’s first phase, has included conversations with people involved in all aspects of higher education. Through these conversations a number of issues have emerged. They include:

Preparedness
Many people are concerned that a rising number of students are not adequately prepared for college-level coursework. A 2010 study by the University of Minnesota and MnSCU found that 40% of Minnesota public high school students entering a public college or university had to take at least one remedial course in math, writing or reading, up from 30% in 2000.

How can our current system of K-12 education better prepare students for the rigor of post-secondary education?

Link to K-12
Advocates of better overlap between K-12 and post-secondary believe earlier and more effective K-12 career counseling could enable students to chart a personalized path to a career, which would allow them to more efficiently acquire training, credits and experiences in ways and at institutions most relevant to their future. Helping students to identify their aptitudes and interests early on helps them to focus on–and stay interested in–the classes and programs that are most relevant to their future.

How can we create and enhance K-12 and post-secondary connections to create a more cohesive approach?

Connection with employers
Many stakeholders interviewed said that it is important to bring employers into the discussion of any reform strategy and for employers to better articulate the skills and abilities graduates need to be workforce ready. Can employers adequately articulate what they are looking for in new employees? Can institutions — both post-secondary and K-12 — measure whether students are graduating with those skills and abilities?

Much of the growth in jobs over the next decade will be in positions that require less than a bachelor’s degree, including jobs that require little post-secondary education but some degree of on-the-job training. How can we prepare students to enter the workforce after graduation from high school?

Online innovations
Numerous stakeholders voiced concern that the higher education business model has not evolved well. Many believe online learning is a major innovation in higher education.

Advocates of higher education innovation argue there are two particularly valuable characteristics of online institutions, such as Western Governors University. First, they are separate from traditional systems of higher education. There’s no pressure to fit into the traditional model of higher education so they are freer to innovate than traditional bricks and mortar institutions. Second, online colleges and universities focus solely on teaching and learning.

Critics question the rigor of online education and whether online courses can truly impart the critical thinking skills employers value. What role could and should online education play in Minnesota’s higher education system?

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What do you think of the above issues? Please post a comment to share your views. To learn more about this work go to www.citizing.org/projects/highered or read the full story on these issues in the May/June edition of MN Journal.

Mentoring for workplace success

By Dolores Fridge, March guest blogger

Helping today's young people succeed in the workplace has never been more important. One way that more mature adults can help is to be a mentor.

There has been nothing more important to me in my various careers in very different organizations than an effective mentor. I credit four such people, who enabled me to move from one job type and organization to another — and be successful in each. In the professional arena, my mentors were David Guyot, Charles Yue, Commissioner David Beaulieu and retired Governor Arnie Carlson.

So, what were the common threads that these four mentors provided for me? Well, each of them provided me with a clear understanding of the organizational culture as well as open and honest feedback on my progress and issues.

Each organization has its own culture and most successful people learn both what it is and how to navigate within its spoken and unspoken guidelines. The culture exists as a result of the ways in which people have conducted themselves in the past and received approval and promotions. Thus, their example becomes the model for success in that organization. Those who "fit," learn and act in ways approved by the group. Operating outside those norms will create conflict and may result in one being seen as "not a fit," for the organization. This invariably ends with the person being isolated and viewed as "not a team player." Usually his or her career comes to a standstill in that particular organization.

A good mentor listens, advises and promotes the positive side of a mentee and encourages him or her to self educate and practice behavior that is appropriate for the organization. A mentor should be available to talk and meet with his or her mentee on a regular basis. These should be regularly scheduled sessions during the workday, on or off the work site. There should be a clear understanding that a mentee will call and ask for immediate help for a potential crisis situation. Mentors should be able to assess a situation quickly and provide concrete and specific feedback.

Each of my aforementioned mentors has provided me with a myriad of support over the years. I thank each for touching my life in such positive ways. Their patience, kindness, information and skill-sharing has enhanced my life and the lives of the young people to whom I have passed along my learnings. Make no mistake, mentoring is work, but it is worth it. Giving back, at what ever point and to whomever has the need, has been one of the most enriching experiences of my multiple careers.

Is there a young person in your organization who would flourish if you took the time to share, teach, listen and sometimes be harsh? You, too, could provide a positive and enriching experience for those who are coming next.

Response to "Vanishing Graduates & Minnesota's Future"

By Katherine Bristol, April Guest Blogger

Minnesota is a prosperous place; the state ranks highly in many social and economic indicators.  The state’s  affluence can be traced to wise investment and policy decisions made by past generations.  However, as we progress into the 21st century, this prosperity is not guaranteed.  In order to be competitive globally, Minnesota needs a highly‐skilled workforce.  Regrettably, several indicators of educational attainment demonstrate that the state is not meeting this standard.  This is especially true for communities of color, which comprise a major source of future workers.  And while Minnesota has the third highest high school completion rate among all states, following high school, about 65 percent of Minnesotans enroll in postsecondary education.  Sustaining this high rate will be a challenge for Minnesota’s high schools and postsecondary institutions.

The total number of high school graduates is projected to decline by 10 percent from 2005 to 2010.  This will occur as children of the baby boomers (“the boomlet”) move beyond the high school age.  According to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, “Unless high school to college participation rates increase—especially among low‐income students, students of color and other students who are traditionally underrepresented in post‐secondary education — colleges will have a smaller pool of students from which to recruit (Minnesota Office of Higher Education 2006).”

“Vanishing Graduates” addresses the economic and social issues associated with a lower number of college graduates.  It got me thinking about what are some practical changes that could be made, without addressing widespread issues such as federal funding and teacher quality. I was able to come up with two, based on my previous research and experience:

1. Set High Standards.  Minnesota must be a national leader in public education.  In order to accomplish this ambitious objective, every student, family, teacher, school, district and program must be held to the high standards.  These goals must be transparent to all, specific and measurable.  Although it may seem counterintuitive, setting high standards is key to improving outcomes for low‐income or minority students who begin school with significant deficits in cognitive, social, and academic skills.
2. Empower Communities, Schools and Individuals.  Empowerment at the community, school and individual levels bestows control to members of marginalized communities who have often been denied that privilege. That control fosters senses of ownership and pride.  When communities are empowered to be involved in their schools, schools are empowered to take control of their own resources, parents are empowered to take initiative in their children’s learning, and young people are empowered to get involved in their communities, the end result will be improved outcomes for students.

I would like to know your thoughts on these suggestions, or the show in general! Please feel free to post your opinion below in the comment section, and we can get the conversation about this important issue started!