Spotlight on Support Services:Support Services for Career Pathways and Bridges

DREAM 2013Anaheim, CaliforniaFebruary 6, 2013

Abigail Newcomer, Policy Analyst

2

CLASP: Policy Solutions that Work for Low-Income People

• CLASP develops and advocates for policies at the federal, state and local levels that improve the lives of low-income people.

• Our Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success seeks to improve policy, increase investment, and strengthen political will to increase the number of low-income adults and youth who earn the postsecondary credentials essential to open doors to good jobs, career advancement, and economic mobility.

3

Outline1. Introduction2. Career Pathways3. Support Services

a. A Support Services Frameworkb. Strategies of Funding Support Services

4. Discussion

4

The ChallengeTraining

• Adult basic education/English language instruction often not connected to training

• Developmental education not connected to college occupational programs• Occupational education not aligned with employer needs

ABE/ESL DevelopmentalEducation

Postsecondary

Education

Employer Workforce

Needs

5

… Another Challenge

Yesterday’s Nontraditional Student Is Today’s Traditional Student

40% of all students are low-income

47%Independent

23%Parents

32%Employed Full-Time

6

Addressing Achieving the Dream’sGoals for Student Success

Increasing the percentage of students who:1. Successfully complete the courses they take2. Advance from remedial to credit-bearing

courses3. Enroll in and successfully complete gatekeeper

courses4. Enroll from one semester to the next 5. Earn degrees and/or certificates.

Career Pathways: Seamless Transition and a Greater Likelihood of Success

Adult Basic

Education/English

Language Instruction

Short-Term Basic Skills

Certificate

Long-Term Certificate

2-Year Associate’s Degree

4-Year Bachelor’s

Degree

Bridge Program

Progressively Higher Levels of Education and Employment

8

Career Pathways: Core Components

Sequence of Offerings

Multiple Entry Points

Multiple Credential

ExitsAppropriate

and Meaningful

Assessment

Support Services and Navigation

Work Experiences

and Employment

A National Movement

• At least 7 states have career pathway efforts (AR, KY, IL, MA, OH, OR, WA, WI) aimed at adults

• Half a dozen states have career pathway bridge initiatives (IL, IN, MN, KY, OH, OR, WA)

• About a dozen states have initiatives to improve effectiveness of adult education and developmental education services (CO, CT, KY, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, MN, NJ, WA,WI)

• Many states have region-focused, sector initiatives aimed at economic development

Challenges of sustaining and scaling innovations

• Generally funded with one-time grants• Foundation grants, WIA discretionary funds, State general

revenue, Federal special grants

• Often within just one agency or system• Key partners missing from the initiative

• Remains an innovation, never “new normal” • Pilot funding vs. FTE’s, ADA’s, and ITA’s• Programs must do many “work arounds” of existing policies

Funding Career Pathways and Bridges:A Federal Funding Toolkit for States

State-level administrators in interagency teams can identify federal resources to support career pathways and pinpoint state policy changes needed.

Local programs can use program summaries to better understand federal resources that can be used at the regional or local level.

11

How to Use the Toolkit

Step 1: Understand possible key components and tasks involved in developing,

implementing, and maintaining career pathways and career pathway

bridges.

Step 2: Identify how federal resources can support these key components and tasks.

Step 3: Pinpoint state policy changes or other state actions needed to fully realize

federal funding opportunities for pathways and bridges into them 12

13

Evidence that Support Makes a Difference• The bridge or pathway should be made feasible by

addressing personal and financial challenges.• Participants should understand why the training is

valuable; and they should understand how to navigate it.

• Social relationships can enhance program participation.

• Participants should receive instructional assistance, where or not she seeks it out.

14

Spotlight on How to Use the Support Services Appendix

• Understand the types of support services that are important for participants in career pathways and bridges.

• Identify how federal resources can support these key components and tasks.

• Pinpoint state policy changes or other state actions needed to maximize federal funding opportunities for support services.

15

Categories of Support ServicesFinancial stability support Assistance accessing financial aid

Assistance using non-traditional aid Child care, transportation and living expenses

Personal support Mentoring, case management, Counseling, group support, Financial coachingFinancial literacy workshops

Academic support TutoringAcademic AdvisingAcademic preparation

Career preparation support Career navigation Job and internship search assistance and placementAssistance gaining work experience

16

Federal Funding Streams• Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title I (Adults and Dislocated

Worker)• Workforce Investment Act, Title I (Youth)• Workforce Investment Act, Title II (Adult Education and Family

Literacy Act)• Pell Grant• Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (Perkins CTE)• TRiO, Student Support Services Program (TRiO SSS)• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)• Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and

Training (SNAP E&T)• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

Arkansas Career Pathways

17

• Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title I (Adults and Dislocated Worker)

• Workforce Investment Act, Title I (Youth)• Workforce Investment Act, Title II (Adult

Education and Family Literacy Act)• Pell Grant• Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education

(Perkins CTE)• TRiO, Student Support Services (TRiO SSS)• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

(TANF)• Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Employment and Training (SNAP E&T)• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

18

Arkansas Career Pathways• Academic and support services for low-income, low-

skilled individuals through two-year colleges and technical centers associated with four-year universities.

• Each student receives:Up to $1,500 for tuition and support servicesAn assigned counselor or tutorAccess to reliable transportation and childcare through private vendorsLinks to Dept. of Workforce Services to ensure delivery of other support services.

Capital IDEA and Austin Community College

19

• Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title I (Adults and Dislocated Worker)

• Workforce Investment Act, Title I (Youth)• Workforce Investment Act, Title II (Adult

Education and Family Literacy Act)• Pell Grant• Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education

(Perkins CTE)• TRiO, Student Support Services (TRiO SSS)• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

(TANF)• Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Employment and Training (SNAP E&T)• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

Source: The Price of Persistence: How Nonprofit – Community College Partnerships Manage and Blend Diverse Funding Streams, Aspen Institute, Feb 11.

20

Challenges Remain

• Support services can be seen by some as add-ons rather than as vital supports necessary for students to persist.

• Aspects of support services remain difficult to fund with public dollars.

• Even support services allowable under federal programs may not commonly be used for these priorities.

21

But there are also opportunities…

• Take an entrepreneurial approach to finding resources for support services and to providing these services.

• Braid together funding sources to provide support services.

• Form partnerships to bring together resources necessary for providing support services.

• Make the case at your institution!

22

Thank you!• For more information and to download the toolkit, visit

CLASP’s Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success at www.clasp.org/postsecondary.

• Send us your stories. Email Abby Newcomer anewcomer@clasp.org with your stories about how you have used this resource or your suggestions on how to improve it.