Workplace Education Yields Demonstrable Benefits

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Workplace Education Yields Demonstrable Benefits

• A presentation by Dr. Lloyd David
• delivered by Brooke S. Toomey of Creative
  Workplace Learning
• NETWORK CONFERENCE
• Massachusetts Coalition of Adult Education (MCAE)
  
• Marlborough MA
• October 26, 2006

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Introduction Review of Literature

• First step in preparing for this workshop review
  literature on the evaluation of workplace
  education programs
• Resources referenced
• Google
• Conference Board of Canada studies from 1990s
• NCSALL Focus on Basics
• a report from Northern Illinois University done
  in 2003
• NIFL Listserve I am working on a report. Does
  anyone know of other research studies on the
  benefits of workplace education programs that
  have been done in addition to the Conference
  Board of Canada study Turning Skills into
  Profit?

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Can all workplace education program evaluations
include both quantitative qualitative measures
of success?

• Goal for the workshop show the importance of
  including both quantitative and qualitative
  measures in workplace education program
  evaluation.
• By sharing experiences we can begin the process
  of setting up a means of collecting and
  disseminating the benefits of workplace
  education.
• Are these benefits currently being overlooked?

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Various programs, common goals.

• In about 3-4 sentences, explain your
  organizations primary workplace education
  program. What were the initial goals you set out
  to achieve and how did you establish them? What
  were actual outcomes at the end of the program?
• Who benefited from the workplace education
  program you implemented? Management? Workers?
  Customers or clients?
• How did your organization identify and document
  successes of the workplace education program?
• How can documenting the benefits of workplace
  education programs to management, workers and
  customers impact the field of workplace education
  in general?
• Was subsequent funding granted to your
  organization if successes were diligently
  documented or did documentation have no impact
  whatsoever?
• Why should companies, employers, public funders,
  or foundations support workplace education when
  there is little evidence of the benefits?
• How can we, as education providers, better secure
  cooperation from company management so that
  students attendance, progress and satisfaction
  are supported?
• What do you think the benefits of workplace
  education programs should be? Is your opinion
  necessarily in line with the funders opinions,
  the managers opinions, and the workers
  opinions?

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US Department of Education evaluates projects in
1997

• The Conference Board of Canada report, Turning
  Skills into Profits, listed economic benefits of
  workplace education programs to employees and
  employers
• 12 skills gained, as mentioned by the employees
• Greater willingness and ability to learn for life
• Improved ability to listen
• Improved ability to understand and use documents
• More positive attitude toward change
• Better ability to work in teams
• Increased ability to use numbers
• Improved capacity to think critically
• Better able to communicate using English
• Improved ability to use computers
• Heightened awareness to others cultures
• Stronger ability to use prose
• Employers report at least one skill gained

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economic benefits of workplace education
programs to the employer

• Improved employee morale
• Increased quality of work
• Improved capacity to solve problems
• Improved capacity to cope with change
• Improved capacity to use new technology
• More employees participating in training
• Higher success rate in promotions
• Improved effectiveness of supervisors
• Increased capacity to handle on-the-job training
• Improved labor-management relations
• Increased output of products and services
• Higher success rate in transferring employees
  within the organization

• Improved results in job-specific training
• Increased profitability
• Reduced time per task
• Quicker results in job training
• Reduced error rate
• Better health and safety record
• Reduced waste in production of products and
  services
• Increased customer retention
• Increased employee retention
• Reduced absenteeism

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Are workplace education programs given the
importance that they warrant?

• Can workplace education providers and instructors
  find adequate and specific support in
  Massachusetts?
• Evidential support of successful programming in
  the past is critical to building on a strong
  foundation.
• Evaluations of workplace education programs can
  be the powerful evidence we need. Comprehensive
  evaluations should, at minimum
• report the process and outcomes of program
  implementation and
• show the importance of the programs to the
  company and the benefits to the students.
• Developing a strategy to organize educators and
  directors can help nurture advocates for
  workplace education
• When everyone is uses the same language and
  understands the importance of disseminating the
  information, the validity of evaluations and the
  lessons learned are strengthened
• Involving businesses and unions in the evaluation
  process furthers the collaboration needed for
  successful programming

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CEI/CWL examples of Workplace StudiesAn
evaluation should be all inclusive
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CWL Workplace Education Programs key benefits

• Axcelis Technologies
• Student enthusiasm for classes gt implementation
  of additional subjects
• Engelhard Corporation
• Administration of company-designed pre post
  tests showed 100 of program participants
  improved
• Imperial Distributors
• Special study demonstrated clear social and
  psychological benefits for employees
• Fire Control Instruments, Inc.

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Fire Control Instruments, Inc
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Conclusion

• Investing in employee education increases
  productivity and morale
• Multiple benefits of Workplace Educationcollectiv
  ely discussed today
• Value in pooling results of evaluations?
• Thank you.