HARRISBURG – Secretary of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak says adult literacy recommendations outlined in a new state report highlight Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s education and workforce development goals.
“Today’s workforce demands higher-level literacy skills,” Secretary Zahorchak said. “For Pennsylvania to excel, literacy must become a vital part of all aspects of our lives – in the workplace, in our families and in all of our communities.”
The Adult Basic and Literacy Education Interagency Coordinating Council, or ABLE ICC, recently released its third annual Blueprint for Change report, which provides five new recommendations that are designed to improve adult literacy services.
The recommendations are:
Increase awareness of literacy as an asset that helps build and enhance community well-being;
Formalize relationships between education and welfare systems to ensure literacy services meet individual, family and community needs;
Support efforts that enable more adults to take part in postsecondary education and training;
Strengthen workforce development networks to enable more adults to move into jobs with self- and family-sustaining wages; and
Increase accountability for addressing literacy needs.
“This report quantitatively affirms what we already know to be true and these recommendations support the investments this administration is making in Pennsylvania’s postsecondary education programs,” Zahorchak said.
More than 4 million Pennsylvanians are in need of adult basic and literacy education services, the report found.
During 2004-2005, Pennsylvania’s family literacy programs served 2,912 of the state’s most vulnerable families in terms of income, employment, and parent’s educations attainment levels. In Pennsylvania, 29.8 percent of adults enrolled in ABLE-funded programs during 2004-05 had English as a Second Language (ESL) needs.
The Governor’s initiatives are strategically targeted at increasing Pennsylvania’s global competitiveness through enhancing postsecondary education and training. Move Up, a $7.5 million joint initiative between the departments of Public Welfare and Education, addresses the skills of individuals receiving Transitional Assistance for Needy Families and helps them to develop the skills necessary to become self-sufficient.
Career Gateway is a two-year, $1.1-million initiative between the departments of Labor & Industry and Education, with support from PHEAA, to enable individuals who are in the adult basic education system to transition to postsecondary education and training, gaining the skills necessary to compete in today’s economy.
Since taking office in 2003, Governor Rendell’s administration has invested a total of $1.8 billion in education, $8.6 million of which was committed to adult basic education. With his expanded commitment in 2007-08, Pennsylvania will reach an additional $2.3 billion invested in our students, $5 million of which will be for ABLE services.
For more information about the 2006 Blueprint for Change Report and the Bureau of Adult Basic and Secondary Education, visit the Department of Education’s Web site, www.pde.state.pa.us.