By Jeff Ryder for WorkingNation.com
Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for Public News Service
Reporting for WorkingNation.com-Tennessee News Service
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- An ambitious new initiative is working to help the recently unemployed gain the training that they need for jobs and careers in higher-paying, in-demand fields in the near future.
It's also helping displaced workers identify new roles now with employers and sectors that are still hiring now even in the midst of the COVID-19 jobs crisis.
Next Chapter is a joint effort between Guild Education, some of the nation's largest companies, and leading academic institutions. Guild says the core of the initiative is the collaboration "between employers adversely impacted by the crisis, and health care, supply chain, and tech employers that are hiring. Employers who join the platform can provide laid-off or furloughed workers with access to reskilling programs, as well as hands-on coaching as they navigate toward growing industries, such as tech, health care, customer success, and the skilled trades."
Transitioning Workers to Better Jobs
Five-year-old Guild is an education technology company that helps other companies set up education programs that make it possible for their employees to earn degrees or gain new skills by using the employer's tuition benefits.
Walmart is one of the companies that it works with, administering its Live Better U "$1 a Day" college program, now available to all 1.4 million employees. Another company, Chipotle, used Guild to create a program for its workers that covers 100 percent of the tuition for 75 separate business and tech degrees.
Allison Salisbury, senior vice president of Employer Solutions at Guild, says Guild had been thinking about the Next Chapter initiative long before COVID-19 hit, focusing on changes in the types of skills employers are looking for in workers as automation and AI continue to change the workforce.
Salisbury says as Guild was shaping the program they took into account that many of Guild's employer partners were already downsizing because of automation and was cognizant that there would eventually be another recession. The pandemic accelerated those changes and has revealed how fragile our workforce systems are, she says, but notes that it has created an opportunity for action and employers are rising to the challenge.
"We really focus on how we can offer a modern outplacement product that allows our employers to transition their workers, not just to any new job outside of the company, but to a better job." she says. "Next Chapter is really about offering very high-quality career coaching and navigation that allow workers to understand their options-either go directly to a new job or to go through what we call an out-filling pathway, where they gain new skills and credentials through our learning marketplace, and then help them navigate to a new job on the other end."
Salisbury says the last few months have been a whirlwind as businesses try to do well by their employees, as well as making certain they're investing forward in their workforce, in this radically changed business climate.
"It's sort of an unprecedented moment that we're face-to-face. It's both a challenge we have in front of us when it comes to preparing our workforce for the future, and also what a window of opportunity there is for a pretty radical reimagining of how our workforce and education systems work today."
Next Chapter is focused on shorter-term training opportunities, lasting three to four months. Corporate partners include Walmart, TTEC, Gainsight, Paschall Truck Lines and Unity Technologies. Education providers involved in Next Chapter include Southern New Hampshire State University, Kaplan Higher Education and Brandman University, among others.
Finding a Job Now, While Discovering a Career Path
Salisbury calls Next Chapter a mobile-first platform with a digital interface which allows for career assessment and navigation. "It uses preference data that we collect from the workers that really helps them explore and select career paths that might align with their skills and their interests. But it also allows them to think about if they were to gain new skills and credentials, what doors might that open?"
She says that Next Chapter is not just an app. "Guild's deep belief - especially for lower opportunity populations - is technology will not get you all the way there in terms of making a really big decision about your future. That's where our coaching comes in. Our career and navigation coaching pairs with the app to really help workers understand their options and navigate their next step."
"We're very focused on lower opportunity populations, oftentimes even if the training that they're pursuing is functionally free or debt free because their employer is supporting them through outplacement, sometimes free isn't free enough."
"People have bills, they have dependents. And so alongside our full-time hiring partners like Walmart and like Chipotle we also have a network of temporary jobs through organizations like Instacart that allow our working learners to make money while they're going through reskilling before they land that full time job."
Working with Employers to Offer Free or Low-Cost Education
Next Chapter joins a lineup of educational opportunities offered by Guild and its partner employers aimed at expanding opportunities for the nation's workforce. As with Walmart and Chipotle, the employee-students primarily get access to education and training opportunities through Guild's nonprofit university and training provider network, everything from trades to associate and bachelor's degrees to master's degrees.
Walmart employee Jacob Gernetzke, 31, is an area manager in central Indiana. He signed up for Live Better U when it began in 2018 and is currently enrolled in Nebraska's Bellevue University. He is on track to get his degree in business management and leadership.
"I had been working with a mentor and then when they announced this program, I had hesitation at first, like it's too good to be true. It can't just be a dollar a day and they pay for your books. But even with that little bit of hesitation it still seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity. And I knew I had to jump on it," says Gernetzk.
And even though he's just a quarter of the way through his college experience, he says he's noticed a change for the better: "I think it's made me a lot more well-rounded. I gained a lot of experience. I've learned a lot of things already through school. As far as my professional life, I think I've grown a lot as an employee, as a leader. When I started this, I wasn't in management, but I was told by multiple peers and multiple supervisors that I had taken on a leadership role within myself on the shop floor. And a lot of that helped me with my promotion."
Guild provides personalized coaching from day one and throughout the associate's educational journey. Gernetzke says the personal attention has been invaluable to his experience.
"Guild has been amazing every step of the way, from College Start through my university program, anything I've ever needed or concerns I've had they've been right there. I had an injury in December, and I had to go on leave of absence for a little while and ended up missing one term. They were great helping guide me through that and checking in on me through the way."
Gernetzke's long-term goal is to stay with Walmart and continue to move up through the ranks. But through the program, he's also discovered the type of manager he'd like to become.
"When this is all done, I would really like to be that kind of a manager within Walmart that can help grow people and lead and develop people for the next step. That really interests me. I would like to keep moving up within the company long-term. But I think one of the most important things to me is developing other people and helping them grow."
This story was originally reported and written by Jeff Ryder for WorkingNation.com.
Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.
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Leaders of a teachers' union in Louisiana are voicing concerns about a package of bills they say would have the effect of dissolving labor unions in the state.
The list includes House Bill 571, which would prohibit public agencies from paying union workers for the time they do anything union-related, even if it's on paid leave.
If passed, said Roberto Furtado, a special-education teacher in the Jefferson Parish Public School System, the bills would end collective bargaining and prohibit payroll deductions for union dues. Furtado said all this would make it harder for new teachers to join the union, further silencing their voices.
"If they make it more difficult for the new teachers, young teachers, to get involved," he said, "then basically, it's a roadblock so they're probably more than likely going to just not do it."
House Bill 572 would prohibit public agencies from collective bargaining with unions, except for police and firefighters. Similar bills have been introduced in multiple states by conservative groups.
The teachers' union has posted petitions on its website for teachers to sign and send to their lawmakers.
Educators in Louisiana have said they're dealing with low pay, overcrowded classrooms and school safety issues. However, state lawmakers have advanced a budget proposal that would cut teacher pay, and the House Appropriations Committee forwarded a spending plan that reduces a $2,000 pay stipend teachers got this school year to $1,300 next year.
Furtado said the end result is forcing good teachers out of the profession.
"Teachers are an invaluable resource for our community, and so we need good, well-rounded educators that want to be there and continue their jobs to help these young men and women, because again, they are our future," he insisted. "That's kind of corny to say this, but yes, our children are our future. If you don't take care of them, where does our future lie?"
The legislative committee also allocated $25 million for a differential teacher compensation strategy for the second year in a row. The union opposed the strategy, because it said the raises wouldn't be permanent and could be taken away from year to year.
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By Lane Wendell Fischer for the Shasta Scout via The Daily Yonder.
Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration
Hiring and maintaining a qualified educator workforce is often a primary concern for rural schools across the country, requiring local education leaders to create innovative solutions.
The University of Wyoming’s College of Education has recently partnered with local community colleges across the state to repair a pipeline for future Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers at high schools and community colleges.
CTE programs offer students an array of skills-based learning opportunities for many high-demand industries ranging from construction, to nursing, to marketing.
For decades, Wyoming has relied on traditional methods to fill out its CTE teacher workforce. After completing a two-year associate’s degree at their community college, students could either enter the trades or take another two years of teacher training.
“It was very much a fork in the road,” said Rob Hill, a CTE consultant for the University of Wyoming and president of SkillsUSA Wyoming. Hill became a Wyoming CTE teacher through this traditional path.
“You had to take life off and go to school,” Hill said. “That limited a lot of people, especially students with families, jobs, and homes.”
As it turned out, most students never completed the final two years of teacher training and just entered the trades after the first two years at their community college, Hill said in an interview with the Daily Yonder.
This outdated pipeline has contributed to a shortage of both CTE teachers and skilled workers in the state.
According to a 2023 report from the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board, the median age of CTE teachers in Wyoming schools is 52, and national numbers are similar. Compare this to the average age of all teachers in the U.S., which is just over 42.
On average, a state employee in Wyoming retires at 62. This means that in the next 7 to 10 years, Wyoming could lose close to half of its CTE workforce to retirement.
“We’ve seen a number of things that have impacted us and that rural part is very real,” Hill said.
In rural communities, a CTE program might only consist of one or two teachers. When that school loses a teacher, the whole program is at risk until a qualified replacement is found.
During a recent tour of Wyoming’s school districts, Jenna Shim, PhD and interim dean of the College of Education, learned that some high school CTE programs are closing down because they couldn’t find replacements.
“One CTE teacher shared with me that he has a specialty in welding, but he has to teach culinary arts,” Shim told the Daily Yonder. “I could see welding and construction, but welding and culinary arts seem like a far stretch.”
And it can be difficult to attract new talent to small schools and communities.
“We tend to do best with people that are invested in that community previously and become teachers, as opposed to bringing in teachers into small communities,” Hill said.
The CTE Domino Effect in Rural Communities
Adding to the difficulty of attracting new teachers is a domino effect caused by current teacher shortages, Shim and Hill said.
A shortage of educators leads to a shortage of high school CTE programs, which leads to a shortage of students pursuing CTE in the state, followed by a shortage of tradespeople in the state, and a shortage of essential services, which, in turn, leads to less attractive communities.
On top of educational advancement for students, repairing CTE teacher pipelines through state and local partnerships helps assemble the next generation of rural water experts, plumbers, electricians, technicians, mechanics, and more, Hill said.
“It has a trickle-down effect into the stability of the community,” Shim said.
And in rural communities, small fluctuations in population, programs, and services can be especially catastrophic — or especially beneficial.
“It doesn’t seem like a big deal if you don’t have one teacher,” Hill said. “But that one teacher in a town of 2000 people that teaches welding, where you have a huge welding industry, that has an extremely large impact.”
The broken pipeline has also raised economic concerns. “Without a sufficient number of teachers, it’s hard to prepare a sufficient workforce,” Shim said.
Two key industries in Wyoming are energy and tourism. Both rely heavily on skilled workers. And both are susceptible to booms and busts that give local communities economic whiplash.
“Over the last decade especially, there’s been a real desire to diversify our workforce,” Hill said. “And that means a different generation of career and technical education, like manufacturing, cybersecurity, and data analysis.”
Repairing the Pipeline
The biggest problem in the previous CTE teacher pipeline was continuity, Hill said. The pathway to teacher certification in rural communities must be both attractive and achievable.
This spring, the College of Education piloted a new course that aims to do both by exposing community college students to CTE teaching before they complete their associate’s degree and decide between trades work or teaching.
“Creating a more seamless pathway is a real goal here,” Hill explained.
The bridge course will be offered each semester in partnership with all eight community colleges in the state and is inherently low stakes. The course credits can be applied toward an associate’s degree at the community college, toward their teaching degree at the university, or toward any other bachelor’s degree they pursue.
In the course, students get a taste of what a career in CTE teaching is like. Coordinated by Hill, the course is one dose online learning and one dose on-site learning. Hill leads the online classroom, where students learn about different national and statewide topics. “But students will learn about how it’s implemented locally,” Hill said.
Each community college has a community college professional and a school district professional that serve as a mentor and safety net for local students, introducing them to CTE leaders at both levels.
One area of misconception is how much CTE teachers are paid, Shim said.
“I think wages scare them most,” Hill said. “But in Wyoming, our hourly wage is higher than many of the trades folks. We have pensions. We have healthcare. It’s a lot more competitive than folks think it is.”
The organization of the course is a masterclass in rural ingenuity. By using technology, the course eliminates long distance travel to the university campus in Laramie on the southern border of the state. It allows students to remain in their local communities, while still being connected to the state’s CTE teacher network.
“We knew we had a statewide problem and we needed to create a statewide solution, or in this case, a local solution for a statewide problem,” Hill said. “This is about connecting people in Wyoming. Because we have these vast distances between us, we have to have a way to connect people.”
Twenty-two students are currently enrolled in the pilot course. Half of the inaugural cohort are community college students. The other half includes veterans, community college instructors, K-12 instructors, and paraprofessionals who are exploring their future career options.
The course has garnered support from state legislators, the university, the colleges, local high schools, local business, and from the students themselves.
Each of the enrolled students is taking the course tuition-free, thanks to scholarships from local businesses and private donors.
“Word is getting out,” Shim said. “I think that’s a testimony for how important this work is.”
Strong CTE programs lead to strong communities, Shim and Hill said. A lot of high school CTE programs are embedded into community culture. Organizations like FFA provide opportunities for social gathering and community service, for example.
“We’ve come up with a mutually beneficial solution and this takes a partnership and teamwork,” Hill said. “No significant advances take place without a group of us working together in a mutually beneficial system.”
Lane Wendell Fischer wrote this article for the Shasta Scout via The Daily Yonder.
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Texas Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick has released 57 "interim charges," the topics he wants Senate committees to study in preparation for the 89th legislative session next year.
Four charges are for the committee overseeing public education. They include improving reading and math readiness in grade school, and redesigning the state's standardized tests.
Eli Melandrez, government relations associate for the American Federation of Teachers-Texas, said educators are surprised the list does not include pay increases for teachers or controversial school vouchers, which use public money to pay for private schooling.
"It's interesting to see both of those key issues absent from the interim charges," Melandrez observed. "Across the state we've seen school closures; we've seen teachers being let go. We've seen a greater percentage of our teacher workforce as uncertified educators."
Two unsuccessful special sessions were held in the past few months, in an attempt to pass a school voucher proposal. Other charges for public schools include examining how school districts used COVID-19 funding, and monitoring the implementation of bills passed in the last session.
Patrick also directed the Higher Education Committee to analyze faculty senates, monitor bans on DEI policies at colleges and universities and revise policies for faculty tenure.
Melandrez noted their union is now affiliated with the American Association of University Professors and members are concerned the lieutenant governor is inserting his own political views into the education system.
"That's worrisome for us," Melandrez emphasized. "In public education and higher education, we are seeing a concerted effort to minimize educator voices."
Patrick also wants senators to review university antisemitism policies and protecting the First Amendment rights of faculty, staff and students. The next legislative session convenes Jan. 14, 2025.
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