Adult education programs serve students with low literacy and numeracy skills. They provide instructional services below the postsecondary level for students who have limited English proficiency and students who are working towards obtaining their high school equivalency. Once adult education students complete their programs, they may choose to…

Even before the coronavirus pandemic began, policymakers, businesses, and workforce advocates were already recognizing that workers were not being replaced by robots, but rather, being called upon to work hand-in-glove with rapidly evolving technology. When the pandemic struck, millions of U.S. companies hustled to change how they did business.…

This brief summarizes findings from implementation, impact, and cost-benefit evaluations of Accelerating Opportunity (AO). AO is a career pathways initiative launched in 2011 that aims to help adults with low basic skills earn valued occupational credentials, obtain well-paying jobs, and sustain rewarding careers. AO was one of the first efforts…

Accelerating Opportunity (AO) combined integrated career pathways at two-year colleges with team teaching, acceleration strategies, supportive services, and policy changes. It aimed to help low-skilled adults earn occupational credentials, obtain well-paying jobs, and sustain rewarding careers. This final implementation report documents activities…

As conceived by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), Lifelong Learning Accounts (LiLAs[SM]) are employer-matched, portable individual accounts used to finance employee education and training. They provide employees with an affordable means of upgrading their skills and knowledge, while helping to meet the needs of employers and…

A project will develop and test a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system tailored especially to the objectives and administrative requirements of state-financed, workplace-based employee training programs. That system will have the following three components: (1) a process monitoring system that shows whether the programs are following…

The authors describe an Illinois program that provides grants to help business teachers update their knowledge and skills by interning in a private sector organization. Information on teacher selection is provided, as are descriptions of the actual experiences of five teachers. (CH)

This booklet presents the inspirational stories of 31 people who were served by Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs in Illinois. Their stories reflect the mission and success of JTPA in Illinois and illustrate how these 31 individuals with diverse backgrounds--school dropouts, teen parents, former substance abusers, welfare recipients,…

A study assessed the success of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs by examining current approaches, featuring operational and experimentally based measures, all using the individual as the unit observation. The research used Program Year 1990 JTPA termination and associated program participation records in Illinois and Texas. Two…

This report explores the organization and administration of the education for employment delivery system in Illinois. Problems central to service delivery in Illinois are identified in such key areas as intake, assessment and follow-up practices, gaps in services and duplicative services and regional and local planning boundaries. Legislative…

This report highlights the involvement of Illinois public community colleges in preparing individuals for employment, including instruction and services offered to students and businesses. After providing an overview of the state's community college system, the report describes the following components and aspects of employment preparation: (1)…

Because their fiscal health depends on having a large base of high-wage taxpayers, states have an economic interest in increasing their citizens' skill levels. In today's global economy, high wages are increasingly tied to the high skills required to function successfully in high performance work organizations. Employer-provided skill upgrading…

This final report concludes a three-year project to identify the program impact on 125 youths and adults who took vocational education in eight locations in Illinois. The longitudinal case study began in 1978-79 when the subjects were still enrolled in their vocational programs. Many of the students who became case subjects for the study were…

A study conducted a questionnaire survey of 70 refugee women in Illinois and 2 service provider focus groups to assess the effects of welfare changes on refugee women and to identify barriers to workforce participation. Survey findings were that refugee women in the workforce are concentrated in low-wage jobs and do not earn enough income to move…

The Illinois Council on Vocational Education evaluated the adequacy and effectiveness of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) in Illinois. Three categories of programs were offered: Title IIA Employment and Training Services to economically disadvantaged youth and adults and Older Individuals Programs; Title IIB Summer Youth programs; and Title…