BRIDGE PROGRAMS - What, Why, How

"Bridge programs have emerged as an effective strategy for preparing low-wealth, low-skilled individuals for jobs that require more education. By providing the necessary academic, employability, and technical skills, these programs help participants enter and succeed in postsecondary education and training and, ultimately, the labor market. In Summer 2010, Workforce Strategy Center (WSC) conducted a survey to determine the proliferation of bridge programs throughout the country. The resulting report, Building a Higher Skilled Workforce: Results and Implications from the BridgeConnect National Survey, documented this growing field—detailing where the programs are located, whom they serve, and what outcomes they achieve.

"WHAT

"Bridge programs help adult students get the academic, employability, and technical skills they need to enter and succeed in postsecondary education and training programs.

"Participants enter bridge programs with low educational skills. In fact, 57 percent of the adults served by BridgeConnect survey respondents possess skills below the tenth-grade level, with 19 percent dropping below the sixth-grade level. These individuals may or may not have a high school diploma or GED. Most have been out of school for a significant amount of time and are not positioned to succeed in postsecondary education and training or advance to better jobs.

"WHY

"Today’s economy demands that more Americans possess postsecondary credentials. The literature is filled with data calling for a renewed emphasis on having a cadre of “middle skill” workers who attain more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree.(1) In fact, some predict that by 2018, two-thirds of the jobs in the American economy will require postsecondary credentialing.(2) At the same time, according to the National Commission on Adult Literacy, 80 million to 90 million adult workers have only low basic skills and are not prepared for 21st-century jobs—they lack a high school degree or its equivalent.(3)

"HOW

"Careful review of BridgeConnect Survey results—combined with practitioner conference calls and follow-up site visits—reveal threads common to each of the promising programs featured in this study. Seven key themes emerged as best practices among the bridge programs: solid curriculum, inspirational leaders, integrated funding, cooperative partnerships, extra support, peer networks, and measurable performance.

"FOR FULL REPORT
Julian L. Alssid
Melissa Goldberg
Sarah M. Klerk
http://www.workforcestrategy.org/index.php"

Anybody got a good bridge program to share in ICT?

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