Preparing learners for family-sustaining work is a big part of adult education! We teach transitions or “soft” skills, digital literacy, and of course basic skills such as reading, writing, math and language. All of these key skills are defined in our content standards documents, and they are further detailed in our CCR Standards and the ACES resource libraries. In addition, in ABE programs throughout the state, these skills are often embedded in a specific career pathway, building students’ skills while preparing them for specific career advancement at the same time.
To address the many challenges in designing, implementing and sustaining effective adult career pathway (ACP) programs and partnerships, ATLAS provides professional development and resources for ABE managers and practitioners who are developing or strengthening career pathways for their students.
The cornerstone of our ACP offerings is the ACP resource library, providing over 50 (and growing!) vetted ACP curricula as well as a multitude of ACP program development tools. If you are teaching students in preparation for careers in healthcare, manufacturing, etc. – don’t recreate the wheel! You can start with an ACP curriculum from this collection and tweak for your context.
Professional development activities for Adult Career Pathways includes webinars and workshops at regional and statewide events on a variety of topics. Keep up with all things ACP-related by joining the ACP Networking group; details are below.
This online networking community of practice was established to connect administrators and instructors working on adult career pathways, and it serves as a forum for discussion among those working with ACPs statewide, as well as a hub for announcements, materials, and face-to-face event information.
The Transitions Professional Development (PD) Advisory Team is an ATLAS-sponsored team designed to strengthen Adult Career Pathways (ACP) work in Minnesota ABE through relevant, meaningful, and effective professional development for ABE teachers and managers.
The Team is responsible for visioning and implementing a long-term strategic plan for Adult Career Pathways PD in Minnesota, as well as specific tasks yearly to support current and forthcoming PD efforts such as offerings around establishing partnerships with local colleges and employers, reaching out to Local Workforce Development Boards, and recruiting ACP students.
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Integrated education and training (IET) is a proven approach to building effective adult career pathway programs. We have lots of great information, guidance and tools to assist MN ABE programs in building IET programs and defining an integrated single set of learning objectives. Check them out! Read More
When offering ACP training in remote areas of Southwest Minnesota, it is often a challenge to get enough students to run a class. This spring, Mankato ABE and Glacial Lakes ABE worked cooperatively to pilot a ParaPro course over Zoom. Find out how they make the class a success! Read More
Registration Deadline: THU. 8/13/20 Learn what research has to say about how adult brains learn a new language, how trauma and stress impact learning, and how this influences the teaching practices that we use in the language classroom. Participants will leave the webinar with suggestions for ways… Learn More
Registration Deadline: TUES. 8/18/20 Learn what research has to say about how adult brains learn a new language, how trauma and stress impact learning, and how this influences the teaching practices that we use in the language classroom. Participants will leave the webinar with suggestions for ways… Learn More
Registration Deadline: MON. 8/10/20 ABE Summer Institute is Minnesota’s annual statewide Adult Basic Education conference sponsored by Literacy Action Network. Due to COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to move the conference to an online platform. This year’s conference will include a… Learn More
