WIOA, NUMERACY AND EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS What exactly are they?

WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT WIOA

WHAT IS WIOA? Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) into law in July, It is the first legislative reform in 15 years of the public workforce system.Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act WIOA is designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR BEDA (BASIC ED FOR ADULTS)? WIOA brings together the core programs of federal investment in skill development and makes them partners at the “One-stop”:  Worksource ( Workforce Development)  Workforce Education  DSHS (DOL)  BEdA (Dept. Ed.) BEdA

WIOA REQUIRES BEDA TO (AMONG OTHER THINGS):  Develop and implement effective and accessible college and career pathways. (Amal, Jim and Alex have taken the lead on this.)  Create a pathway for ESL students to obtain a high school diploma if needed (HS 21+).  Align to the Career and College Readiness Standards and no longer stop at 10 th grade competency levels but provide students with the skills to be college-ready. (Standards are not ready for ESL yet. Stay tuned.)Career and College Readiness Standards

WIOA REQUIRES BEDA TO (AMONG OTHER THINGS) (CON’T):  Teach employability skills in every class at every level.  Teach math instruction (including numeracy) and reading strategy instruction at all levels for both ABE and ESL.

WHAT IS NUMERACY?

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MATH INSTRUCTION IN ESL, WE ARE OFTEN TALKING ABOUT NUMERACY. Numeracy is the ability to cope confidently with the mathematical demands of everyday life in the home, workplace, and community (Cockcroft, 1982; Withnall, 1995). Numeracy in ESL includes being able to:  Understand and communicate in the language of mathematics  Do the math calculations needed  Interpret the results and apply the mathematical concept to other areas of life and work.

NUMBER, MEASURES, SHAPE AND SPACE, HANDLING DATA Adult numeracy includes:  numbers and the number system, and calculations  measures, shape and space which includes common measures of money, time, temperature, distance, length, weight, capacity, perimeter, area and volume, and shape and position  handling data which includes data and statistical measures, and probability.

WORD PROBLEM: The price of a t-shirt is 50$. If you buy 4 shirts, you will get 10% discount. How much do you have to pay if you buy 8 shirts?  What is the language of math?  What is the calculation?  What is the abstract concept we can apply our lives?

WHAT ARE EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS?

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS Employability skills are often called “soft skills.” They are general skills that are necessary for success in the labor market at all employment levels and in all sectors. Here is a list:  Applied Academic Skills (including numeracy!)  Critical Thinking Skills/Problem Solving  Interpersonal Skills  Teamwork  Leadership  Conflict resolution  Respecting Differences

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS  Personal Qualities:  Responsibility and Self-Discipline  Flexibility  Independence  Professionalism  Initiative  Workplace Skills:  Time Management  Information Use: organizing, analyzing and communicating information  Communication Skills  Understanding and Using Technology

ACTIVITY:

1) IDENTIFYING NUMERACY AND EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS ON OUR MCOS AND BRINGING THEM FORWARD 1)Get into groups by level. Take a look at the master course outlines for the level you are in. 2)Work together, using the handouts provided, and identify numeracy and employability skills already being taught in these outlines. 3)Discuss: do you get to these numeracy and employability skills every quarter? 4)Take notes on your discussion. Write down any unresolved questions.

2) IDENTIFYING NUMERACY AND EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS THAT WE TEACH BUT AREN’T LISTED ON THE MCOS 1)Continue the discussion: are there numeracy and employability skills that you regularly teach that are not directly stated on the master course outlines? 2)How do you, or would you, assess them, particularly employability skills that may emphasize interpersonal skills or personal qualities? (See handout) 3)Write your answers on the handout. 4)Take notes on your discussion. Write down any unresolved questions.

3) LOOKING ACROSS LEVELS AND MAKING SURE THAT NUMERACY AND EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS ARE SCAFFOLDED. Take your group notes on your handout and meet with another level: Level 1 and 2 work together Level 3 and 4 work together Level 5 and 6 work together 1.How do the skills you identified fit together across the level? 2.Are there large gaps or excessive redundancies? 3.Take notes on your discussion. Are there areas that need development/ intentional scaffolding?