Collaborations

Collaborations Between Adult Basic Education and Local Workforce Investment Boards

The final webinar in the WIOA: What Now? Practice and Policy webinar series presents promising models of local collaborations between Adult Basic Education programs and Workforce Investment Boards to align and strengthen resources and services to prepare adults for postsecondary education and workforce training.

Collaborations, such as the ones presented, are an essential foundation for adult education and workforce training providers to effectively implement key shifts found in the WIOA legislation, which:

Promote engagement of employers and alignment of education and training activities through career pathways;
Strengthen partnerships and investments in the One-Stop Career Center delivery system; and
Support integrated education and workforce training activities.

Additional Resources: OCTAE Info About WIOA

Webinar Date: March 20, 2015

Presenters

Gina Frey is Director of Adult Basic Education at North Shore Community Action Programs in Peabody, MA. Gina’s 7+ years of experience in community-based ESOL and workforce development has included teaching, advising, program development, training needs assessment and community planning. Recently projects include the development of an ESOL-focused Career Pathways in Advanced Manufacturing program and a community health center collaboration aimed at improving the communication skills of front-line staff adapting to new team-based models of patient care. Gina holds an M.Ed in Adult and Organizational Learning from Northeastern University and a B.A. in Communications-Rhetoric from the University of Pittsburgh.

Gayle Goetz is the Director of Next Step Alliance, a partnership of Goodwill Industries & Wichita Area Technical College. A native of Brooklyn, NY, Gayle spent most of her adult life in Shreveport, LA before moving to Wichita, KS in 2002. She has worked for Goodwill Industries of Kansas for more than 11 years, starting in Development and moving into Adult Education about 4 years ago. Gayle is largely responsible for the innovative Adult Education program, NexStep Alliance, in Wichita, KS. NexStep is a working partnership of Goodwill Industries, Wichita Area Technical College, and Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas. Their mission is to change their community by helping adults earn their GEDs and technical certificates (or secondary education) that make them immediately employable at sustaining wages.

Tim Shenk is the Adult Education Program Director for Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 in PA. Before becoming Program Director, Tim was an Adult Education Supervisor and ESL instructor. Tim, who has a Master’s of Education Degree in TESOL, has been an IU13 employee for 19 years. He is a voting member of the South Central Workforce Investment Board and serves on the Administration and Finance committee. Tim is the Chair of the South Central Adult Education Coalition which meets quarterly with WIB representatives. He is also actively involved with the Lancaster Workforce Investment Board. His program provides classes and supportive services for Title I youth and Title II adults in both the Lancaster and Lebanon one-stop centers.

Moderator

Sandy Goodman is the Director of Career Pathways at the National College Transition Network. Her work includes designing and leading college transition and career pathways initiatives. She provides technical assistance and professional development to individual programs and state adult education systems on national, state, and local initiatives. Recent projects include: designing professional development for Accelerating Opportunity; directing the SABES Center for Education and Career Planning in Massachusetts; developing and delivering online and face-to-face training for college and career navigators; and strengthening of Prior Learning Assessment policies and their broader implementation as a postsecondary acceleration strategy for adult learners.