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<br />KEEPING CALIFORNIA COMPETITIVE, CREATING OPPORTUNITY 9 <br /> <br />Policy Recommendations: <br />1. Provide support for community colleges and adult <br />schools to develop programming that meets the <br />needs of working adults, including contextual, <br />accelerated, and off-hours programs. <br /> <br />2. Improve access to financial aid for adult students, <br />workers, and those supporting families. <br /> <br />3. Expand support services, such as on-site childcare <br />and quality counseling services that allow individuals <br />to successfully complete certificate and degree <br />programs. <br /> <br />4. Expand training options for working and unem- <br />ployed workers, through One Stop Career Centers, <br />community colleges, adults schools, community- <br />based organizations, apprenticeships, ROCPs, <br />labor-management partnerships, employer- <br />sponsored training programs. <br /> <br />5. Maximize the flexibility in federal programs such as <br />Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the <br />Workforce Investment Act to encourage education <br />and training. Maximize the flexibility of state fund- <br />ing, such as the Employment Training Panel funds. <br /> <br />IV. Link Workforce Programs and <br />Institutions to Create Pathways to <br />High Wage Jobs <br /> <br />Problem: <br />For many Californians, there are virtually no visible <br />paths to high wage jobs. California's education and <br />training system does not ensure that individuals can <br />progress efficiently over time from lower to high <br />levels of skill, toward a career with a future. Instead, <br />the state has a welter of programs that are often <br />poorly connected, have conflicting requirements and <br />standards, and mayor may not reflect the real needs of <br />the labor market. Students waste time and money, and <br />many become discouraged. English language learners <br />and students who need remediation in math or English <br />are particularly at risk; many never achieve a credential <br />or degree. <br /> <br />Solution: <br />Provide all Californians pathways to high wage jobs by <br />forging disjointed education and job training programs <br />into a coherent system of skill development that is <br />responsive to the long-term needs of the California <br />economy. Link related programs within and across <br />institutions so that learning from one is transferable <br />to another, improving students' chances of successfully <br />completing their training and reducing the time it <br />takes to do so. Integrate English language training and <br />other basic skills programs more effectively into the <br />academic and vocational skills training system. <br />Maximize the effectiveness of the workforce develop- <br />ment system as a whole by building on the strengths <br />of each of its key institutions and programs. <br /> <br />Policy Recommendations: <br />1. Provide clear career pathways to and through <br />postsecondary education and training and into the <br />world of work, by offering continuums of courses <br />that provide the skills needed for high wage, high <br />growth careers. <br />2. Improve the formal connections among programs <br />and courses within postsecondary educational <br />and training institutions, and especially across <br />institutions. <br />3. Effectively link basic skills programs (including <br />English-as-a-Second-Language) and career <br />preparation programs. <br />4. Link the adult education system (in adult <br />schools, community colleges, community-based <br />organizations) more effectively to college degree <br />and credential programs. <br />5. Better align career technical education at the high <br />school and postsecondary levels, based on standards <br />such as those developed by the Career Technical <br />Education Curriculum Framework.'" <br /> <br />20 See http://www.sonoma.edu/cihs/cte/ <br /> <br />19E-12 <br />