Sharon Bonney on Adult Education for Workforce Development

Speaker A: Future of Work Florida.

Speaker B: Welcome to the Future of Work Florida podcast, brought to you by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Florida Chamber Foundation. This podcast series is dedicated to equipping Florida's business leaders with the knowledge, solutions and resources available to secure Florida's workforce talent. Today, our Vice President of Talent Development for the Future of Work, Rachel Ludwig, has the pleasure of speaking with Sharon Bonny, CEO of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education. The two will discuss why adult education is an essential, yet often overlooked component of, uh, workforce development. How programs across the country are helping adults gain foundational skills, and what it will take to ensure more learners can access the education and training needed to succeed in today's economy.

Speaker A: Great to have you here, Sharon. Thank you again so much for raising awareness of our adult learner population and how it's truly an untapped talent pool throughout the country and in Florida. And I just. You're such a passionate leader in this space and I'm really excited, you know, to get to know you a little bit more, especially in the past few months, but also to have this discussion today. Um, so thank you, thank you again for being here.

Speaker C: Thank you, Rachel. It's really a pleasure to be with you and to see all the great work you're doing in Florida and beyond. Really exciting. I'm glad we had the opportunity to meet at our coed conference.

Speaker A: Yes, absolutely. So I talk a lot about adult learners in this role here at the Florida Chamber foundation. Um, and we'll get into that a little bit later. But I think it's good to sort of level set a little bit for the audience who's listening when we speak about adult education and adult learners. Like, who are those folks? And how do you describe that landscape kind of across the United States in your role?

Speaker C: Well, great. Well, first I'd like to share. Um, at COA, we have about 100,000 members with, uh, 2,300 local programs that serve 3.2 million learners across the country. These learners come into local programs typically for one of four things. Um, one would be to learn how to speak the language, learn to read, write, and speak the language. Two, to get their high school equivalency, also known as GED or HiSET. Three would be for digital literacy skills so that they're able to learn, uh, how to use a computer. And the fourth would be to get workforce ready so they know that they need these skills in order to be able to get a better job. Oftentimes our learners are working multiple part time jobs, um, that are not family sustaining and to really take them out of the home and they're unable to help their children with their homework too. That's another big reason that they come in, is they want to do better for their family. So the learners themselves, according to the national reporting system, which 75% of our local programs are part of the WIOA Title II funding network. Um, we're talking about those who aged out of foster care, the homeless and runaways, the justice impacted single parents, um, those with learning disabilities, um, those who are migrant and seasonal workers, um, immigrants, you know, high school dropouts, I hate to say it that way, high school non completers. So those. There's really, uh, a through line through all of that of individuals who really want to change their lives. And they know that this education piece is super important. Without this, they're not going to get that better job. They're certainly not getting into community college. They're not going to be able to help their children with their homework.

Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And I think, you know, you named some of the barriers to employment, but I remember when I was teaching in adult education and led those orientations, um, you know, there's a lot of different reasons why folks would sort of be able to leverage the services of adult education. And like you had mentioned, you know, it's basically they're making a conscious choice and realizing, like, this is, education is important to me. I need this to advance, um, my, my life and my family's life. So that's just awesome. Um, I want to think about, you know, we talk a lot about demographic shifts, um, and you know, our economists are bringing this to our attention. We're talking about migration numbers, all of that, especially in Florida. Um, but thinking through that lens, I would love for you to share a little bit with our listeners why the adult learner population should be really considered as a critical part of the workforce development and talent development strategy for every organization in Florida and beyond.

Speaker C: Absolutely. So first of all, when you look at that 16 to 44, so the working age, it's the vast majority of our learners are in that segment, in that population right there. So that alone is one piece. Also, we know there's 7.1 million jobs across the country that are open and we've got these 3.2 million learners that are being served that just seem to be upskilled. The other piece I think is so important and oftentimes people don't think of this, is that our learners have grit. They're not there because it's compulsory. They're there because they know this is the piece that's going to help them change their lives and get a better job or be able to help their grandchildren, that type of thing. But oftentimes it is to get a better job. Oftentimes they want to be out of poverty because they want to be off of benefits. They want to be able to contribute to society. And so for employers to really see this as that talent, adult education, as that talent pipeline, where they can work with their local UM program, the adult ed program in their city, and they can actually put together what's called an integrated education training program, where the local program will provide this accelerated programming for that learner. So while they're getting their ged, for example, they're also learning specific skills needed for that specific employer's company. So when they get out, they're immediately employable at that company. I mean, that is such a talent pipeline. And we know there have been over 250,000 who have participated in IETs across the country in the last four years. And this is something this, this administration feels strongly about is I and apprenticeship programs. So looking at your local programs as a source for future workers is really important. And it's, it's like it makes good business sense because when people are employed at your company now, they're going to stay local, now they're contributing to the tax base. So that's really, I think it's, it's a strategy that's often overlooked and misunderstood. Um, and that's available. There's Iet funding, um, the federal, ah, the federal government has provided, Iet funding and many governors have put funding towards this as well.

Speaker A: Yeah, I actually want to touch on that a little bit. That was a huge effort. It still is here in Florida Priority. And when was at the Department of Education, um, we focused a lot of our professional development around Iets, and we do have amazing leaders in this state. You know, I think in leading that during my couple of years there, we grew our Iet program offering from like 14 to over 300. It was a systematic approach. You know, there weren't students enrolled in all of those 300 programs, but the systems and the structures were in place for, to offer those programs. And I often talk about that with business leaders, about how, um, flexible these are because they're truly trying to be responsive to the workforce demands. And many times they are building the skills in a scaffolded way so that you're basically allowing the learner to get ready to enter and then from there the company will take that student to grow within the Role and within the company and what have you. It's been extremely effective here in Florida. So I definitely encourage folks who are listening. Um, we've actually, in the past and we need to revise and revamp it a little bit, but we've. We put out two years ago. I think it was pretty early in my time at the chamber, um, an, Iet employer guide, but I think I need to revisit that. So thank you for reminding me. Um, because I think that that's going to be increasingly important, you know, Um, I want you to touch on. So, you know, you and I understand the adult education space obviously very, very well and spent many years doing the work in this space. But what do you think, or wish, um, employers and policymakers and community leaders understood and the impact of adult education programs across the country?

Speaker C: Well, uh, yes, that's a great question. Um, the first piece I would say is that I wish that the employers understood that this is one of the outcomes that local programs have to hit. They have to help learners get jobs and get into community college or they don't get funded for the federal government. So this is kind of the brilliance of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It really was meant to help fill that talent pipeline. The other thing I'd like for employers to understand is that the learners that come in, as I mentioned before, they have grit. But, uh, the programming is also really good, too. When you look at the outcomes, for example, of the 91,000 individuals that entered a local program with a stated goal of achieving their GED or his, I should say that HSE, um, over 90,000 did. So looking at that, I mean, where will you see that sort of a completion rate while you do an adult ed programs? And it's because those learners are there because they know this is going to help them get a better job and help them out of poverty. The other piece I would say is often people aren't aware that of those individuals that complete, 56% go on to better jobs and 40% go on to community college. Oh, actually, I think it's almost 47%. And of that 40%, they end up, um, they have a 90% completion rate. This is according to research that was done by GD testing, which I'd be happy to share after this with our, with our audience. So there's that completion rate of, like, they're getting jobs, they're getting into community college. These are achievers. They, they wanted this. They know that, on average, once you get your high school equivalency, you can make typically anywhere from 6 to $10,000 more per year out of the gate. Now think about our own selves. When we graduated from high school, did. Were we automatically able to make 6 to $10,000 more per year? Would we need a few years for someone to follow us and say, oh, okay, five years from now, 10 years from now. That's something CO is doing as well, is we're now tracking with adult learners who sign up for our alumni study. Because we know five to 10 years from now, it's a very different picture than one year after they graduate from that program. But already, even with just graduating, on average they make anywhere from 6 to $10,000 more per year because they're able to get better jobs, jobs they could never apply for before or their employer sees, oh, you got your ged, I'm going to give you a promotion, I'm going to give you a raise because I see how hard working you are. So I would really like for employers to understand kind of that piece that, the learner piece that these individuals, uh, they want to be employed. That's why they're going to the local program. But secondly, to understand that local program provides great services. That's why they are able to help the learners to progress on and proceed as they do.

Speaker A: Absolutely, yeah. In my experience, you know, I had a lot of students who are highly motivated who basically had promotions waiting for them. And that speaks to the sort of the story of, you know, people have a lot of grit that are going through these programs and they've overcome a lot of challenges. And those are all sort of skills, transferable skills that employers are looking for. And, uh, many times, you know, whatever the past was or the reason was where they maybe didn't complete their high school at the time, largely, it was probably something out of their control. But, you know, they have that, um, that grit and determination to come back and pursue that. And many, like I said, I mean, I had so many students, it was wonderful, who were like, as soon as I, as soon as I get this, then I get, you know, a promotion. And that's like, really what we want to see because they have, you know, they have all the ability in the world to grow them from there, which is so cool. Uh, I would love for you to share. I know there's so many. I mean, I could talk all day about this and I get really passionate. Um, but I would love you to share, you know, maybe one success story that you're proud of or promising pract you've seen recently. Especially, I know You've been traveling across the country and meeting with providers, and I'm sure you have so many. But, um, what can employers learn from this success story? What. What is one that you'd like to share and you want people to hear that probably are happening across the country every day?

Speaker C: Absolutely. I'll share one I shared recently on LinkedIn. Her name is Yael, and this was a. A woman who was a ward of the state at 12 years old, um, in foster care. Really tough life. And she actually started, um, teaching herself how to read while she was working at McDonald's. And then she entered a local program, and she was able to complete there, was able to go on to community college, um, and was able to use Pell Grants. From there, she was accepted into Harvard. And in her graduation speech, she talked about the value of Pell Grants, the value of adult education, specifically how that was really her way up and out of this really difficult life that she was living. And now she works for Stanford as a scientist. She has her doctorate, and she is a such a big advocate of adult education. I mean, she contacted me in accent, said, I saw what you're doing. Could I somehow, you know, support what you're doing by sharing my story? And I love to share her story because I think oftentimes there is the stigma about the adult learner, you know, that they're. You know, the stigma that they must. They're a quitter or whatever it might be that people would say. But actually, there may be, as you said, many reasons why a person doesn't get their high school diploma. And oftentimes, when they come to our local program, they have that idea in their mind that they know this is their. Their way up and out of that lifestyle into something much better. So I love to share about Yael, because, for one thing, I just think it's an amazing story and a testament to her, her, um, power and grit, but also a testament to local programs that supported her through that journey and wrapped around her and helped her. But also Pell Grants, which are so important. Right. Um, so I'm hoping we won't see a big cut on those.

Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Ah, that's been a big topic of conversation lately, and definitely figuring out ways to support learners who are truly trying to better their lives and increase their earning potential over time. I think that's so important. Um, one thing that, you know, I know that in my time working, you know, in adult education as an instructor and things, we. We focused a lot on, obviously, the assessments and things like that. Focus a lot on literacy, numeracy, digital literacy. Like you said, super important in the workforce. Um, what are things that are happening that you've seen currently? Um, and how are programs evolving to meet the changing needs of learners as well as employers?

Speaker C: Well, I mean, I think that the last month has been really difficult with the fact that the funding was put on hold for local programs. Just, I just want to acknowledge that in the month of July, the funding that had been democratically appropriated by Congress and allocated by Department of Ed was withheld for nearly a month. And that really put a lot on the back burner. I mean, I had, I had a lot of conversations with local programs that weren't sure what to do and had to do mass layoffs, and there was huge waiting lists. Um, but up until that time, what we saw was a lot of innovation and the highest marks ever in terms of not just accountability, but outcomes from the local programs. And what we were seeing they were doing was really exactly what WIOA talks about. Break down those silos, work with your local employers, get in your chambers of commerce, work with your workforce development boards, work with your community colleges. Have those articulated memos of understanding so that the learners can have that talent pipeline into local community colleges as well, which helps the community college enrollment, helps the local program set their goals, and of course, most of all, helps the learner achieve their goals, their stated goals. So, um, that's what we were seeing across the board. We were seeing really great numbers for completions, and a lot of immigrants served as well. You know, I feel very passionately that immigrants that are here legally have every right to receive the services as well. And, um, I believe our administration believes that as well. So we were seeing that, and I think that's really important too. One of the things people often don't realize is that there's been a study commissioned by the Kauffman foundation that showcased that high school dropouts and immigrants are the, the two cohorts of individuals that are most likely to start a business. I think that's amazing. Yeah, you know, this is like this entrepreneurial talent, uh, pipeline as well. So just thinking about that piece, I think is really important understanding that these are people that are thinking outside of the box too. Like they are trying to find ways to provide for their families. Right. So a lot of the small businesses are run by immigrants that are here locally as well as the. The high school non completers.

Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, in Florida alone, obviously, we have a large English language learner population here, and many folks come with, uh, education from other countries and bringing those skills and knowledge here. And really there's just a language acquisition time period that we can help accelerate through adult education to help them, you know, gain those meaningful jobs that, you know, they were able to do in their. In another language. I taught languages for a long time. It takes time. No matter how much you invest into learning a language, it just takes time. And so these programs are so important. And then on the other side, you know, we have 1.8 million folks in Florida that, um, are still, um, you know, yet to earn their high school equivalency diploma. And yet is a big word because I believe that we can get there. And I know I have to give a shout out to our field here in Florida because they are some of the best folks and working tirelessly through a lot of challenges, especially recently, um, but really excited, you know, for things to kind of keep going in motion for this year and then obviously, as a sort of collective, really continue to spread the good news about, um, adult education and all the positives that come along with these very smart investments in our adult learners that we want to contribute meaningfully to the workforce. Um, I guess my last question, you know, you know, speaking on, you know, kind of the recent activities and things and the challenges that folks have had to work through, um, with the funding, you know, questions and things like that, um, can you sort of. I know that the decisions were difficult, especially during the month of July, with uncertainty and things like that, but can you share, you know, now that we have the funding released, like, what's your call to action, you know, for employers and community leaders and policymakers to really get behind and support this work and then obviously take that momentum into future decisions that will be made about where this goes?

Speaker C: Absolutely. So I can't stress enough that supporting the local program, meeting with that local program coordinator and trying to determine how they can work with you as that talent pipeline is imperative. If you need workers, they have them. They have those workers. So that would be, that would be one is to, you know, meet with them, make time to go visit your local program, check out a local program, um, graduation, and see those individuals walking the stage that now have that certificate or have now, um, gain the skills, commiserate with. Oftentimes they get certificates too. And like, uh, Google, uh, has a cyber security or there's AI credentials. There's all types of certificates they can get right there in the local program as well that make them employable even beyond a ged. So that would be one they learn digital skills as well. Now you've got somebody who knows how to operate a computer. And, um, that also really helps as well in this, this current dynamic. So I would. My call to action for employers would be to get to know your local programs, get to find out what learners, how the learners have and the skill set they have and if they're able to work for you. I think that would be the best thing possible for title one, the workforce, and title two, adult education, to work more closely together. I would also encourage those chambers of commerce, you know, include the adult education programs in your chamber. Workforce development boards. Make sure adult education has a seat at your table. Oftentimes they are left out for whatever reason. And this is something that I think goes both ways. The local program coordinator should really keep knocking hard on that door to be included. But also the workforce development boards can get out and make sure that they're including, um, adult education as well. But also, I would just say I want to circle back to that piece about individuals who are here in this country that are internationally trained professionals. I was recently on a business trip and my Uber driver was a rheumatologist in his home country. And you see that so often that they have the skills. It's just a, maybe an English language issue that that local program can help with. So when we think about that tax base and giving back to the economy, you know, if someone is working as a rheumatologist versus a taxi driver or Uber driver, that tax base greatly increases. Right. So helping people to reach their full potential doesn't just help that person, it helps the whole economy.