Not everyone seeking additional education is ready to enter a regular community college classroom—especially those with multiple barriers to education and employment. On-Ramps and Bridges address the preparatory work that many low-income working and unemployed adults need to accomplish before being “college-ready”.  This prep work might entail basic skills training (such as ABL, ESL, GED), or pre-college reading, writing and math or computer classes that better prepare people for the college experience.

Through the Peer Learning Group, SJI has been facilitating a coordinated effort to create a system of On-Ramps and Bridges that would work with multiple providers and across all community colleges in our region. Our ultimate goal with On-Ramps and Bridges is to help low-income adults better access and succeed in post secondary education.

Forces Align for Change: the College for Working Adults

Many changes are underway in our region’s education and training system. Key players including educators, policymakers and nonprofit organizations are recognizing a need to streamline our workforce development system to give more opportunity to low-income working adults.

"On the CBO-side, there's a real interest in learning how to help our clients better navigate the community college system," said Lauren  O'Brien, director of planning and program development at Goodwill. 

This work has been a priority agenda item of SkillUp, a new effort that seeks to prepare low-income residents for competitive family wage jobs through skills training. Comprised of 10 private and public funders, SkillUp has been working to improve how education and training is being delivered to low-wage workers.

"Aligning college systems, finding a shared vocabulary, potentially utilizing non-traditional delivery models for learning -- these are just some of the goals that we're seeking," O'Brien said.

By pooling and aligning resources, SkillUp hopes to dramatically increase the number of low-income residents who obtain postsecondary credentials. SkillUp hopes to create a system where low-income adults can simultaneously work and study full-time, as well as access necessary supports to get them through college in a reasonable timeframe.

The centerpiece of SkillUp’s strategy is the establishment of the College for Working Adults (CWA), a new delivery model that compresses and modularizes certificate and degree programs.  Low-income working adults need to be able to obtain skills and classroom credit that build upon each other, ultimately leading to certification and a degree.  The goal is to deliver CWA at all 11 King County community colleges, and the first pilots are beginning in fall of 2009 at the following five campuses: Highline Community College, Bellevue Community College, Seattle Central Community College, Shoreline Community College and North Seattle Community College.

But, recognizing that not everyone is college-ready, the Peer Learning Group is also emphasizing the establishment of On-Ramps and Bridges that help working adults prepare for the college experience. SJI has been playing a lead role in convening local community-based organizations and colleges to help develop these programs.

Our next steps include creating tools to help individuals with multiple barriers access the community college system.  “We want to remove all potential stumbling blocks,” said Anne Keeney, executive director of SJI.  “We know how challenging it is to enroll into a community college. Clients tell us every day they are confused by the process, they don’t understand all the course choices and they spend a ton of time going back and forth to the college trying to figure it all out. People are discouraged. We have to find a better way to help people access college and persist toward completion.”

To that end, the colleges and CBOs involved in the Peer Learning Group are recommending a consistent mapping system across all community colleges that helps individuals with multiple barriers (and the community agencies that serve them) access the multi-step application and registration process. And, in partnership with SJI, Goodwill is developing a “College 101 Curriculum" which can serve as a blueprint for others seeking to help their clients move into college programs. In addition, the Peer Learning Group is providing best practices on a new concept of Navigator Roles at the community colleges.

Want to Get Involved?

Community colleges and community-based organizations in King County interested in learning more about this work can contact Seattle Jobs Initiative to learn more.  In addition, SJI has released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for community-based organizations to receive funding from SJI to be trained on our Good Paying Careers Outreach curriculum, an effective new tool that helps clients understand where the good paying jobs are, and what steps need to be taken to obtain them.  Please visit our news section for more information on how to respond to this RFQ.