alabama's working families and the broken promise of economic ...

Almost half a million of Alabama’s working-ageadults lack either a high school degreeor a general equivalency diploma.high school degree or a general equivalency diploma.18 Almost half of all Alabamians aged 25 to 54, theprime working years, have a high school diploma orless, and only one-third of our citizens in that agerange have an associate’s degree or higher. 19Among young adults aged 18 to 24, only 32 percentare enrolled in postsecondary education; thecontinuing racial gap is evident in the fact thatonly 23 percent of African Americans in that agerange are students in postsecondary institutions.Only 5.8 percent of adults aged 25-54 are enrolledin traditional postsecondary programs. In theseindicators, and every other one related to educationalattainment and access, Alabama comesin below the national average, usually among thelowest-ranked states. By any measure, there isample room for improvement and expansion ofworkforce education. Substantial evidence suggeststhat comprehensive campaigns to engageadult learners in educational programs pay off.Kentucky’s “Go Higher” campaign resulted in adoubling of participation in adult education programsin only five years, from fewer than 52,000 participantsin 2000 to more than 124,000 in 2005. 20The correlation between educational attainmentand earnings is well documented. A 2004 analysisby the Minnesota Population Center findsthat average earnings for an Alabamian without ahigh school degree are only half of what an Alabamaresident with a bachelor’s degree earns. 21 Atone time, Alabama’s leading industries – agriculture,mining, steelmaking, textiles – relied moreheavily on workers’ brawn than on their brains. Inthe older economy, a host of factors – includingdeficient education and earning power, oppressivesocial structures, and the traditional valuesof self-reliance and independence – kept manyAlabamians culturally and economically isolatedfrom the nation at large. The changing demandsof a high-tech, consumer economy are making itincreasingly difficult to get by without “connecting”to the outside world through education andtraining. In keeping with the best legacy of theirpast, Alabamians must recognize that the roadto economic self-sufficiency today crosses newterrain. Until voters and policymakers support programsthat bridge the knowledge and skills gap,that road will remain impassable for many of thestate’s low-income workers.As more traditional industries have declinedor relocated overseas, the state has focused itsefforts on recruiting industries that require a moresophisticated skills set and higher general levelsof education. The state has begun to realize theimportance of investing in elementary and secondaryeducational systems so tomorrow’s workers willbe prepared for the jobs the future holds. If Alabamawishes to continue its successes in economicdevelopment, it must recognize that providing thenecessary training and skills to those already in theworkforce is equally important.Alabama links low-income adults to training andeducational opportunities through four primarysystems:• The Alabama College System, consisting of publictwo-year community and technical colleges and anupper-division college, under the authority of theState Board of Education.• Adult Basic Education, offered through the AlabamaCollege System.• The Office of Workforce Development (OWD)of the Alabama Department of Economic andCommunity Affairs (ADECA).• The Temporary Assistance to Needy Families(TANF) program, administered by the AlabamaDepartment of Human Resources.The Alabama College SystemThe Alabama College System consists of 21 comprehensivecommunity colleges and four technicalcolleges, in addition to extensive workforce developmentinitiatives. During the 2005-06 academicyear, almost 129,000 students were enrolled in collegecredit courses, and another 64,000 studentswere in non-credit programs and courses. The systemserves primarily Alabama students, with 9518 Bridging the Gap