In Attendance: Larry Bay, Kermit Dunkelberg, Richard Goldberg, Priscilla Golding, Maria Grace, Johanna Hall (representing Rob Vitello), Kathleen Howell, Andre Mayer, Connie Nelson, Andrea Perrault, David Rosen, Jane Shea, Laurie Sheridan, Gloria Watanabe, John Zhang.

I. Announcements/Updates

ACLS integrated curriculum conference
The conference was a success. Over 150 people attended. There was diversity of types of integrated curricula and models presented; many were about workforce development.

MWIB subcommittees
The preliminary recommendations of the ABE-ESOL subcommittee of the Mass. Workforce Investment Board are posted on the mass.gov website. The ABE-ESOL subcommittee has broken into five working groups. One, on "Linkages," surveyed ABE programs. Issues that emerged include the need for more evening and weekend classes to accommodate learners' work schedules, and the need for more intensity of instruction so folks can progress faster.

Andrea Perrault also noted that the committee has expressed the need to balance the needs of the current workforce vs. the unemployed. Most state funding has targeted incumbent workers.

Kermit commented that Western Mass. has a lot of construction workers who are periodically laid off and then have lots of time for ABE study. David Rosen commented that on-line and hybrid instruction can help; the recently piloted Learner Web can supplement class time; for example, if workers' shift changes or they become unemployed, they can shift to self-directed study. This raises: How can the ABE system rapidly shift to adapt to changes in learners' lives?

Another task force of the MWIB's subcommittee, on "Dedicated Funding Stream for Workplace Education," has discussed creating a single application/decision-making process for the workplace education funding provided by DESE, Workforce Training Fund, and perhaps others. The recommendations from each working group are being combined into a single document, and will be presented to the entire MWIB at its next meeting on June 11. There are only five appointed members to the committee, including Anne Serino, plus other volunteers.

English Works
A new process is underway by English for New Bostonians and MIRA to build a statewide campaign to promote workplace-based ESOL, starting in the City of Boston and eventually statewide. Its objective is to encourage public and private investment in workplace ESOL.

State Budget
Connie reported that the new Senate Ways and Means budget includes over $31 million for ABE, a $1 million increase. The Workforce Training Fund is funded at $21 million until calendar year 2010. The Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (currently $15 million) is not in the Senate budget. Amendment #5050, sponsored by Sens. McGee and Montigny, would restore it to the budget. Calls are encouraged.

New DESE Commissioner
Mitchell Chester, from Ohio and formerly Connecticut, started yesterday as the new Commissioner of DESE. DOE has recently been re-named the Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Other
The Asian-American Civil Association has a new web page for its "Communicating at Work" project, which can be found at www.aaca-boston/caw.

II. SABES update

Current activities
John Zhang reported on a recent (5/14) SABES training on "Next Steps for ABE Learners." Participants expressed interest in future workshops on partnering with business, funding for small ABE programs, and want more new presenters and information like in this workshop. Kathleen Howell reported on an informative workshop on "Immigrant Rights" presented by the local ACLU chapter. Many issues around undocumented learners emerged in this training.

Employers tend to think of workforce development for their own workforce, not so much from community-based programs. Larry Bay commented that Holyoke Works and others have an outstanding relationship with the local career center and with the WIB's. They use WIA funding either for ESOL development and job training, or as a stand-alone. Employer interest in hiring from ABE programs varies by industry. In manufacturing, many feel ABE doesn't provide high-level skills. Early childhood education has much more interest, especially as soon every early childhood worker will need a college degree.

Other regions, including Bristol, have initiated strong WIB-Career Center-ABE relationships, and DESE is bringing Holyoke folks to several regions to learn from their model. SABES Workforce Development Coordinators have facilitated meetings between ABE programs and Career Centers in all regions. Andrea also facilitates out-stationing an ABE representative in most career centers across the state. New Bedford has a strong relationship with its ABE/ESOL programs. A meeting of ABE programs with the new WIB director is scheduled in Worcester.

The WIB's are currently in the midst of a new high-performance board initiative, initiated by the Dept. of Workforce Development (David Mackley), reflecting the Governor's interest in serving the workforce development system. While not mandatory, there is a $100,000 incentive for certification.

SABES Workplan
The proposals for SABES Central Resource Center (World Education) and the SABES regions were submitted to ACLS recently. Recommendations from the SABES WFD Advisory were incorporated into these proposals. Assuming the SABES proposal is accepted, SABES will enter a one-year contract with DESE/ACLS (for FY'09) starting July 1. The Advisory's recommendations have gone to the SABES Directors, who are merging those recommendations into the overall workplan for their SABES region. It will next go through a budget analysis and negotiation with ACLS. There is time for further input overall, and for discussion of how SABES might approach its work for the next year.

Sometimes there is not enough staff capacity or budget for the Advisory's workplan recom-mendations, so some items will be held over till a later year, or not be fully addressed. The workplan process tends to subtract, and not add, items. It would be helpful for SABES' planning if the Advisory discusses items in the proposed draft workplan and makes concrete recommendations for them.

Questions for Small Groups:

1. What specifically should SABES do next year in this area?
2. What products or materials will we need?
3. What will help/what resources will we need in order to do it?
4. What will be the impact or outcome(s)?

Small Group Reports:

Group #1: Developing Relationships with Business

• Providers need to be bicultural, bilingual (between ABE and business language and culture)
• Should invite presentations from people who are "bicultural," including employers
• It's often difficult for small employers and small ABE providers to form partnerships
• Businesses could apply for Workforce Training Fund Express program (an easy and flexible process) and purchase slots or scholarships in ABE/ESOL classes
• SABES needs to help programs develop "selling points" for employers

Group #2: Preparing and Supporting Workplace Education Programs and Teachers and Group #4 Next Steps for ABE Learners:

• SABES should provide professional development for part-timers, including face-to-face and electronic lists with moderators
• SABES should function as a go-between, set it up
• Need a video library
• Help fill the gap with career coaches/instructors
• Linking career centers with ASE learners-have career coaches
• Enrollment coaches should meet with ABE learners
• Pre-college programs
• Training videos on preparation for academic programs (e.g., on realities of Accuplacer)
• Provide study circles a la NCSALL on workplace education

Group #3: Providing PD and TA around Job Readiness and Career Awareness and Group #6: Sharing Labor Market Information

• Have employers present at SABES workshops
• Identify skill gaps, what jobs require
• How do we change teachers' mindset?
• Identifying underlying skills to bring into the workplace, use them in the classroom
• Revisit SCANS, Equipped for the Future (EFF), post them on SABES web site
• Network '08 and other conferences
• Make the "Integrating Career Awareness" curriculum accessible and visible
• Work with Chambers of Commerce, small employers, career centers, WIB's, community colleges
• Integrate math, especially math vocabulary
• Provide different perspectives on the job market, work with community colleges (those in Jane Shea's position at their respective colleges)
• Better fund the SABES Workforce Development Coordinators in the regions-they do not have enough staff time realistically to assist with marketing

Group #5 Working with the Workforce Development System

• Communication and coordination-with ABE and SABES
• Respond to different needs in diverse communities
• Is the WIB invested in ABE?
• Is ABE invested in the WIB?
• Is the DOE/ABE rep to the WIB invested?
• Involvement with DESE
• Make sure career centers are aware of ABE services
• Are ABE programs aware of career centers?
• Identify ways they can work together better
• We promote higher ed, but meanwhile many people are in poverty, need to exist, so SABES also needs to address the need for short-term plans
• SABES can help bridge the gap, e.g., for an RN where there are no nearby job openings, so she is cleaning rooms for a living
• Make available/publicize online info such as Training Pro
• Every ABE program should be on the list, which allows programs access to funding, e.g., WIA Trade Adjustment $$
• ACLS/SABES should work with DESE's Dept. of Proprietary Schools. (Andrea: they already do, Mary Jayne Fay's workshops)

Next Meeting:
Another Advisory meeting will be scheduled in the fall, probably in early October so as not to conflict with the ACLS Directors' Meeting and the MCAE Network conference. Laurie will poll Advisory members and confirm a date.

Send comments to: Laurie Sheridan

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