One practitioner discovered a creative way to use the current funding structure to her advantage by making attendance a class issue, e.g., discussing attendance as a class, letting learners know that attendance is directly related to funding and allowing them to set standards. See Appendix F for a description of this innovative approach.

Other attendance strategies included:

• providing ‘readiness’ components such as orientation or employment readiness programs before learners begin their academic upgrading
• holding bi-weekly staff meetings to discuss individual cases
• offering prompt personal counselling on site to discover reasons for absenteeism
• monitoring contract monthly, bi-monthly or even weekly with counsellor
• permitting casual attendance for 4 weeks of the program and then demanding 90% attendance of scheduled classes
• creating a new position of Academic Coach whose responsibility it is to find solutions to learners’ problems and to provide the necessary supports
• talking to learners who are missing a lot of time (sometimes the solution is a leave until they deal with the situation)

Academic Progress

Only two of the policies dealt with progress as a separate category. One described why it was important for learners to make measurable progress towards their post secondary goals. It identified reasons why learners often fail to make progress, e.g., problems with time-management or unrealistic goals. Issues related to program progress in other college policies appear to be embedded in agreements/contracts with the learner or processes such as training plan development.

The two policies that dealt explicitly with progress outlined the following expectations and conditions for learners:

• that learners are expected to progress according to time lines/target dates
• that learners must consult with faculty to determine the necessary rate of progress to meet goals stated in the training plan
• that learners who are falling behind contact the program advisor
• that learners making no progress for 1 month will be referred to the program advisor to reconsider their goals and develop a plan of action
• that learners making no progress for a second month will be required to sign a progress agreement
• that learners who do not fulfill the terms of the progress agreement will be
  withdrawn at the end of the semester