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This chapter describes the barriers to democracy in the workplace, while challenging workplace educators to develop programs that contribute to organisational efficiency and enable workers to attain high levels of control and... more
This chapter describes the barriers to democracy in the workplace, while challenging workplace educators to develop programs that contribute to organisational efficiency and enable workers to attain high levels of control and responsibility. The author argues that worker education should facilitate both technical efficiency and high levels of worker participation and gives examples of how this can be done.
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Basic issues in workplace education evaluation can be structured into five discussion questions. The first is who wants to know what information for what purpose. The "who" constitutes the program's stakeholders both at and... more
Basic issues in workplace education evaluation can be structured into five discussion questions. The first is who wants to know what information for what purpose. The "who" constitutes the program's stakeholders both at and beyond the program level. Further inquiry is then needed to determine what kind of information these stakeholders typically want from an evaluation and purposes for which they might use the information. The second question concerns the goals of workplace education and the indicators of progress toward those goals. All stakeholders' expectations for the program must be clarified. Through airing, negotiating, and prioritizing these expectations, agreement may be reached on what the program should be trying to achieve and on which of those program goals to focus most in the evaluation. Indicators of progress or success or ability should be determined so evaluators know what specific evidence to look for. The third question is about determining whic...
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This article begins with a brief history of two decades of U.S. workplace basic skills efforts that laid a foundation of goals, content, policies, and practices for subsequent worker education programs. It then draws on program records to... more
This article begins with a brief history of two decades of U.S. workplace basic skills efforts that laid a foundation of goals, content, policies, and practices for subsequent worker education programs. It then draws on program records to present a case study of a work-related basic skills program in the New York City public transit workers’ union in the early 2000s. It describes why and how the program was begun, learners served, jobs focused on, stakeholders involved, practices used, and shorter and longer term results. It concludes with reflections on how stakeholders can use worker education to serve workers, their families and communities, employers, and unions while supporting economic and societal renewal.
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A review of literature and work with focus groups shows that, although adult education has always focused on helping undereducated adults prepare for work, since the early 1990s there has been emphasis on work force development (helping... more
A review of literature and work with focus groups shows that, although adult education has always focused on helping undereducated adults prepare for work, since the early 1990s there has been emphasis on work force development (helping prepare the work force and get them into rewarding productive jobs) and workplace (organizational) change. A more systematic approach to training and education for employed and unemployed workers has been called for, especially in the new Workforce Investment Act (1998) . Adult education can be a dynamic player in these new systems for improving the workforce and strengthening workplaces if adult educators follow the following guidelines: (1) be clear about who they are serving and what those customers' needs are; (2) involve stakeholders; (3) provide clear and relative learning objectives; (4) document program evaluation; (5) provide multiple learning opportunities; (6) establish a corps of well-prepared and well-supported professionals; (7) mak...