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

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POLICY AGENDABridging the education and training gapThe Alabama College SystemThe inadequacy of Alabama’s need-based financialassistance hampers access to postsecondary educationfor all of the state’s low-income citizens, butperhaps no group more severely than adults withfamilies. Faced with job and family responsibilities,many workers find the cost of education and skillstraining simply beyond their reach. In addition,those job and family responsibilities pose uniqueproblems for adult learners, who may encounterdifficulties in balancing competing demands. Onlyhalf of Alabama’s first-year community college studentsreturn for a second year. With the skill andknowledge requirements for new jobs becomingincreasingly sophisticated, such attrition is a lossour economy simply can’t afford. An investment inacademic and personal guidance services and supplementalsupports can be a cost-effective meansto help these students increase their retention andcompletion rates.Though the 2007 Legislature voted to double thefunds available for the state’s needs-based financialassistance program, that action will allow minimalassistance to only 8 percent of the eligible students.Recent strong growth in revenue for the EducationTrust Fund makes the present a prime time tocreate new opportunities for low-income workingfamilies to pursue postsecondary education.[ Alabama should continue to allocate additionalfunds for need-based financial assistance.[ Until need-based financial assistance programsare fully funded, Alabama shoulddesignate at least 25 percent of available fundsto provide assistance to adult learners.[ To provide assistance to Alabama’s workingfamilies who may not meet eligibility criteriafor need-based programs, matching fundsshould be allocated for the creation of IndividualDevelopment Accounts (IDAs) to be usedfor education-related expenses.[ Alabama should increase its support of academicand personal guidance services and othersupports geared toward increasing the retentionand completion rates of adult learners.[ To provide accountability for program performance,including student performance,retention and advancement, the AlabamaCollege System should proceed with theimplementation of College Accountability PerformanceProfile (CAPP). The focus of CAPPshould change from evaluation of the performanceof community college presidents to areview of the overall success of the postsecondarysystem in meeting the educational needs ofAlabama’s citizens. The CAPP should be easilyaccessible to citizens and policymakers.The Office of Workforce DevelopmentAlabama’s workforce development system servesrelatively few of our residents who have limitededucational levels or skill attainment. Faced withdiminishing federal financial resources, Alabamaneeds to invest state resources to serve the needsof this population, as well as ensure an adequatelytrained workforce for new industries. Both thenumber of adults receiving training and the federalfunds available for these training programs havedecreased significantly in recent years. Provisionof education and skill acquisition programs offerslow-income families a direct route to increase prosperityand financial stability.[ Alabama should provide state funding commitmentsto offset the loss of diminishingfederal participation in WIA programs. Anexamination should be undertaken to determinewhether funds generated through the state’sEmployment Security Enhancement Act couldbe better utilized in such training programs.[ Alabama should actively market training programsto those half a million citizens who lack24 Bridging the Gap
a high school degree or equivalency. The trainingshould encompass broad skill sets that aretransferrable to multiple settings.[ Alabama should track the earnings of WIAparticipants over a longer period of time todetermine whether programs are successfullyequipping participants with the knowledge andskills necessary for increased earning capacity.Adult Basic EducationOnly 3.8 percent of Alabama’s citizens without a highschool degree or equivalency are enrolled in adult educationprograms in the state, and only 8 percent ofthose who do enroll set a goal for postsecondary education.Alabama needs to launch a public educationprogram to encourage participation in adult educationprograms and to identify pathways that allow citizensto progress from ABE to postsecondary education.Returning more Alabamians to an education pathwaywill require a significant investment of state funds.this special group and to offer them opportunitiesthat will lead to increased self-sufficiency.[ Alabama should reduce the transfer ofTANF Block Grant funds to other programsand direct these resources to meet the educationaland skill development needs of programparticipants.[ Alabama should track adults leaving TANFrolls to determine whether program participationhas, in fact, led to increased self-sufficiency.[ Alabama should launch a comprehensivepublic education campaign to increase participationin its adult education programs.[ Alabama should increase its investment of adulteducation programs to the Southeastern average.[ Alabama should develop and implementclear and easily accessible pathways from adulteducation programs to postsecondary educationprograms.Temporary Assistance for Needy FamiliesAlabama’s TANF benefit structure is among thelowest in the country, and the program providestraining and educational programs to only 6.4 percentof adult TANF participants. One explanationfor this status lies in the fact that Alabama transfers30 percent of the TANF Block Grant to meetother human service needs. This action effectivelyreduces the funding available to meet the needs ofAlabama’s Working Families 25
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Page 11 and 12: Chapter 3 examines the state’s ec
Page 13 and 14: CHAPTER 1Alabama’s Low-IncomeWork
Page 16: For most of this decade, Alabama’
Page 19 and 20: CHAPTER 2The Education and Training
Page 22 and 23: level for the state, and ultimately
Page 24 and 25: programs, while responsive to emplo
Page 30 and 31: Occupations with Highest Projected
Page 32 and 33: Recap of Capital Credit ProgramNOTI
Page 36 and 37: PER CAPITA SPENDINGIN WORK SUPPORT
Page 38 and 39: national standards, this is far les
Page 40 and 41: Endnotes1 Information provided by L
Page 42: Photography CreditsCover images: Va

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