Adult Learning
Contents
Adult Education and Skills Training
Labor Day reports
Adult Education and Skills Training
The Key Ingredient: Data is Crucial to Building Michigan’s Workforce System
Michigan needs to rebuild its workforce. While much attention is given to the state’s high unemployment rate, there is another problem that threatens our economic well-being: the large number of workers who lack occumpational skills. This paper outlines what postsecondary education components are necessary for a comprehensive P-20 data system that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of Michigan’s adult learner population. July 2011. Read report. Read executive summary.
Testimony on FY 2011-12 School Aid Budget Senate School Aid Appropriations Subcommittee
State funding for adult education is appropriated as a categorical in the School Aid Fund. A recent draft recommendation for the School Aid budget would eliminate all funding for adult education, leaving federal funding as the sole source of support for adult education in Michigan. Read testimony. April 2011 (Note: Final budget continued adult ed funding.)
Fact Sheet: Increasing the Basic Skills of Michigan Workers
In order for Michigan’s economy to grow and thrive, we must have a workforce that is prepared for jobs in the knowledge-based economy. Read report. October 2010
Good Ideas Are Not Enough: Michigan’s Adult Learning System Needs More State Funding
Far too many workers lack the vocational skills needed by employers now and in the future, and a large number lack the basic skills required to learn those vocational skills. May 2010 Read report. Read press release.
Importance of Postsecondary Education Increases While Financial Aid Eludes Many — 2008
This As Michigan shifts from a skills-based to a knowledge-based economy, the value of postsecondary education and training for all Michigan residents is greater now than it is has ever been. However, along with the increased value placed on education beyond high school, tuition rates have also increased. — Sept 2008 read more>> Executive Summary>> PRESS RELEASE>> (Audio) Financial Aid Sept 8, 2008 — 1320 WILS Radio
Fixing the Leaky Pipeline: Why Adult Education and Skills Training Matters for Michigan’s Future
It is time to rethink the purpose of adult education in Michigan. A high school diploma no longer ensures stable employment. There is a growing need for college and vocational training credentials, yet such credentials are out of reach to a large number of low-skilled or low-literacy workers including those who have graduated from high school. — July 2007 Click for Analysis. Click for Executive Summary.
Michigan’s Weak Link: Unemployment, the Skills Gap, and the Declining Support for Adult Education
Far too many Michigan workers lack the skills needed by employers. Businesses expect to face a shortage of skilled workers while many workers remain unemployed or in low-wage jobs that do not pay enough to meet their expenses. Adult education, when properly supported by state policy and funding, can help to close this skills gap by preparing low-skill workers for better-wage jobs. This new analysis by the Michigan League for Human Services shows how recent funding reductions have caused a drop in adult education enrollment and completion by the workers who could most benefit. It also discusses elements of state policy that create additional barriers for some low-income individuals who wish to enroll in adult basic education. April05 Full report
Labor Day reports
2011 Labor Day Report: Long-Term Unemployment Hits High Water Mark; Lengthy Job Searches Underscore Need for Postsecondary Training
This is the fifth annual Labor Day Report published by the Michigan League for Human Services, exploring unemployment, long-term unemployment, wage levels and educational levels in Michigan.
2010 Labor Day Report: Long-Term Unemployment is at Crisis Level
This is the fourth annual Labor Day Report published by the Michigan League for Human Services. While past issues of the report have looked at unemployment from various angles, this issue focuses particularly on long-term unemployed workers, defined as those who have been without work for more than 26 weeks. read more>> – press release>>
2009 Labor Day Report: Racial Wage Gap Grows in the Workplace; Too many Michigan jobs can’t support families
This is the Michigan League for Human Services’ third annual Labor Day Report. In this issue, we give special attention to racial disparities in the wages, unemployment and educational level of Michigan’s workers. read more>> — press release>>
2008 Labor Day Report: Economic Challenges Underscore Needs of Low-Income Workers
This report describes the state of working Michigan in 2008. It has been produced with the support of the Economic Policy Institute, and unless otherwise noted, the data has been supplied as part of their State of Working America project. — Sept 2008 (Revised Oct 2008) read more>> — Press Release>>
2007 Labor Day Report: Many Workers Lag Behind in New Economy
This paper describes the state of working Michigan in 2007. It discusses wages, employment, worker characteristics, and the need for skill-building. It concludes with a summary of the positive steps Michigan has recently taken to help low-wage workers, and makes recommendations on what the state can do further to help such workers attain economic self-sufficiency. — Sept 2007 read more>>
