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Introduction and Opening Remarks
The meeting began with introductions of Council members and other meeting attendees.
Following introductions, Secretary Thomas Perez spoke about the need to "up-skill" adult learners to provide them with more opportunities and prepare them for the workforce of the future. He discussed the role of the Transition Council in preparing for a smooth transfer of programs in 2009. He also introduced the team of facilitators who will help with the Transition Council process.
He asked for those in attendance to come up with recommendations for a new name for the Division of Workforce Development, which will house the adult and correctional education programs when they move to
DLLR.
Secretary Nancy Grasmick thanked the adult education and literacy program providers in attendance for their hard work on behalf of adult learners, and stressed the need to continue the high quality programs that already exist and build upon their strengths.
Senator Thomas Middleton, a member of the Transition Council, discussed the recognition by the General Assembly that a lot of adult learners in the adult education and literacy programs also need job training. He noted that the goal is not to erode the quality of existing programs but to enhance them.
Presentations
Senate Bill 203 Overview:
Elisabeth Sachs, Director of Policy and Planning for DLLR, and Katharine Oliver, Assistant State Superintendent, MSDE, gave an overview of Senate Bill 203, which transfers administration of adult education and literacy and correctional education programs from MSDE to DLLR in July 2009, and defines the responsibilities of the Transition Council.
Internal Administration Overview:
Leonard Howie, DLLR Deputy Secretary, and Katharine Oliver gave a presentation outlining the work the two departments have already done in coordination with each other to prepare for the program transfer, including discussions of personnel, technology and funding issues.
National and Maryland Adult Learning Needs:
Ed Strong, a facilitator from the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, outlined statistics related to the number of adults in need of educational services, the changing nature of the workforce and the capacity of programs to accommodate the need, both at the national level and in
Maryland. Specifically, he noted the rapid growth of middle skill jobs, which are jobs that pay family sustaining wages and typically require some level of post-secondary training or certificate. In Maryland, the number of jobs requiring postsecondary education is expected to grow by more than 24 percent by 2012 from the 2002 level.
Interview Highlights: Joe Ames, the Principal of Ames and Associates, discussed themes that emerged during the facilitators' interviews with Council member prior to the meeting. They including the need for more advocacy on behalf of adult and correctional education programs, the need for decisions to be data driven and the need for program integration.
Visioning Exercise
Council members and meeting attendees were asked to participate in an exercise to identify their visions for what they would consider a successful adult learning environment in Maryland by the year 2013.
Participants were asked to list key points from their visions and contribute these points to a larger collection of ideas from other participants. A number of common themes emerged, including:
- A focus on connecting learners to workforce opportunities;
- Increasing professional development opportunities for adult education instructors;
- More programs options with flexibility and better support services (such as transportation and day care for participants); and
- Better program integration.
A final summary of the visioning exercise is available on the Transition Council Message Board
and the DLLR website.
In attendance:
Secretary Thomas Perez, Co-Chair
Superintendent Nancy Grasmick, Co-Chair
Sen. Thomas M. Middleton, Council Member
Sen. Katherine Klausmeier, Council Member
Del. C. Sue Hecht, Council Member
Chris Eddings, Council Member
Shirley Bigley LaMotte, Council Member
Mary Baykan, Council Member
Rev. Dr. Karen Brown, Council Member
Melinda Brown, Council Member
Barbara Denman, Council Member
Patricia Keeton, Council Member
James LaCalle, Council Member
Dan McDermott, Council Member
Fred Mason, Jr., Council Member
Jason Perkins-Cohen, Council Member
Thomasina Hiers, Representing DPSCS Secretary Gary Maynard
Gareth Murray, Representing MHEC Secretary James Lyons |
