The goal of ACES (Academic, Career & Employability Skills) is to support instructors in teaching the hard-to-define, yet make-or-break skills needed to succeed in the workplace, college, and community.
The Transitions Integration Framework (TIF) is the cornerstone of ACES, and it is one of three documents comprising the state-adopted content standards for Minnesota Adult Education. Visit the CCR Standards page to see how ACES fits into the broader content standards for ABE, including the College & Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRS).
The TIF was designed to provide ABE programs and instructors with guidance on the effective integration of transitions skills (also known as soft skills or professional skills) into instruction at all levels of ABE.
The TIF includes six categories of skills:
Want more information on implementing the TIF in your own practice? Check out the ACES resource library!
Facilitated by the ACES Coordinator and Minnesota ABE teachers and administrators statewide, webinars are offered throughout the year to keep adult educators up to speed on ACES work and keep these important transitions skills fresh in educators’ minds. To increase their applicability, ACES webinars are often combined with other content areas and initiatives, such as the College & Career Readiness Standards (CCRS), Northstar Digital Literacy, and adult career pathways.
ATLAS also offers ACES-related workshops at Fall and Spring Regionals across Minnesota.
For information on upcoming opportunities, check the Events calendar.
Transitions 101: How does it all fit together?
The Transitions 101 webinar recording provides the basics of what is meant by “Transitions” in adult education. ATLAS and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) give an overview of relevant work and professional learning options around adult career pathways, IET, transitions to post-secondary entry, and more!
You can also use this Key Notes and Resources companion document to take notes and plan action steps for further professional development.
How do teachers design instruction that simultaneously builds academic (CCRS), transitions (TIF), and digital literacy skills (Northstar)? This is the guiding question for a new ATLAS cohort beginning in fall 2026: the Content Standards Integration (CSI) Cohort, which will replace the CCRS Implementation Cohort.
Instead of asking teachers to specialize in a single set of standards, this cohort focuses on strengthening the instruction educators already do by integrating CCRS with transitions skills and digital literacy skills in ways that reflect how adults actually learn and live.
Find more details about the CSI Cohort below!
This free online course on the Canvas platform provides a thorough introduction on how to integrate academic, career, and employability skills (ACES) into your instructional context through the use of the Transitions Integration Framework (TIF). Participants can earn 6 CEUs for successful completion of the course.
How do teachers design instruction that simultaneously builds academic (CCRS), transitions (TIF), and digital literacy skills (Northstar)? This is the guiding question for the Content Standards Integration (CSI) Cohort, new in fall 2026 and replacing the previously offered CCRS Implementation Cohort.
ACES professional learning communities (PLCs) provide teachers with the opportunity to examine their roles as adult educators in a “transitions” landscape; explore and practice integrating transitions (TIF) skills into their lessons, materials and instructional settings; and work collaboratively with colleagues to reflect on and develop their teaching practice.
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PD Catalog
For adult learners interested in healthcare careers, personal care assistant (PCA) / community first services and support (CFSS) training offers a fast and meaningful pathway to employment while developing valuable skills that can lead to future career opportunities. According to the Minnesota CareerForce, personal care assistants (aides) are currently in high demand and will continue to be for years to come. Read More
Consider where we get our information in 2026. What should we believe—and what should we question? Answering these questions has become increasingly difficult amid the constant stream of content from print, digital, and visual media, much of it shaped by misinformation, bias, or incomplete context. In this environment, Adult Education has a powerful opportunity to lead by equipping students at all levels with the skills to become discerning readers, listeners, and thinkers. Read More
Registration Deadline: FRI. 6/26/26 Venue: Online (see details below) Come and review the important role of fluency in reading instruction. We will discuss the three key components of reading fluency and look at a variety of activities tutors and teachers can try. We will talk about the mechanics… Learn More
Registration Deadline: TUE. 6/30/26 Venue: Online (see details below) Participants develop their personal cultural awareness and learn how expectations around school culture shape how people teach and learn. Guiding principles for effectively delivering instruction to adults are also covered. Finally, participants increase their sensitivity to the challenges of… Learn More
Registration Deadline: TUE. 7/7/26 Venue: Online (see details below) Participants learn how to apply teaching practices that support language and skill development for all learners. These practices include ensuring that instruction is learner centered, using an appropriate level of teacher talk and delivering error correction. Learn More
