The Joyce Foundation Applauds President Obama's Commitment To Community Colleges and Skills Training Programs to Support Local Economies

State of the Union Address Underscores Key Priorities of Foundation's Workforce Development Program

CHICAGO, Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Joyce Foundation, committed to improving the quality of life for people in the Great Lakes region and across the country, issued the following statement in support of President Obama's State of the Union focus on job training and workforce development:

"We commend President Obama for his recognition that skill building programs are critical to advance low income adults to higher paying jobs, and that nationally – and in the Great Lakes region – governments, businesses, educational institutions and community organizations must collaborate to get people trained and back to work," said Ellen Alberding, President of the Joyce Foundation.  "The Joyce Foundation works to improve education systems and support opportunities for underserved adults to learn important skills and pursue good-paying jobs in their communities to help the economy thrive.  Initiatives like Shifting Gears, Accelerating Opportunity, and the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence show how this is done at the local and state level, and we are honored to have the backing of the President's policies supporting our approach."

In tonight's State of the Union remarks, President Barack Obama emphasized the importance of workforce development programs as essential to the Blueprint for an America Built to Last.  "Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job...Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers – places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing."

Joyce Foundation Supported Programs:

Shifting Gears: Since 2007, Shifting Gears has dramatically increased access to postsecondary credentials for low income adults.  The initiative has prioritized training for important industries, and helped redesign job programs to meet the needs of working adults by breaking them into manageable chunks and embedding within them literacy and other basic skills.  Within the first four years, states are seeing significant changes. Wisconsin streamlined the approval process for new credential programs so colleges can quickly respond to labor market needs. Illinois developed programs that gear literacy training to the workplace, and Minnesota encouraged the creation of new adult education and skills training programs.

Aspen Prize For Community College Excellence: Community colleges provide more than 6 million adults each year with literacy, workforce, and general academic programs. Despite their essential role in higher education, little is known about what these institutions can do to ensure students persist in their studies, earn a credential and find a good-paying job.  The first ever Aspen Prize was awarded last fall to Valencia College in Orlando, Florida.  The $1 million prize will be awarded annually to the top community colleges in the nation based on student learning and employment outcomes, and shines a spotlight on their important and effective work.

Accelerating Opportunity:  The Foundation is supporting Jobs for the Future to lead the Accelerating Opportunity Initiative, a multi-state effort to expand and evaluate programs that provide college-level training for local job opportunities.  Based on a successful model developed in Washington state and lessons learned from the Breaking Through Initiative, 11 states received funding to redesign adult basic education and postsecondary programs to integrate basic skills with  occupational training. Five states have now received grants to put their plans in action over the next three years, including Illinois. Accelerating Opportunity will engage nearly 40 community colleges and impact more than 18,000 adults.

THE JOYCE FOUNDATION

The Joyce Foundation supports the development of policies that both improve the quality of life for people in the Great Lakes region and serve as models for the rest of the country.  We focus on today's most pressing problems while also informing the public policy decisions critical to creating opportunity and achieving long-term solutions.  The work is based on sound research and is focused on where we can add the most value.  We encourage innovative and collaborative approaches with a regional focus and the potential for a national reach.

For more information, visit www.joycefdn.org.

CONTACT: Katie McCormick Lelyveld, [email protected], +1-312-782-2464

SOURCE The Joyce Foundation