clipart - signpostTRAVEL ADVISORIES: Round Tables

What are the barriers and challenges to including Workplace Essential Skills in college and training institution programs?

Discussion Points:

  • WES does not always “sell itself” when difficult budget decisions are being made
  • There is not enough time and money for instructor training and curriculum revision addressing WES
  • Often difficult to address WES concepts such as critical thinking – instructors feel overwhelmed and intimidated
  • There is a lack of awareness about essential skills – what are they, why are they important, are they really teachable
  • There is no time in the actual programs – no room to include new activities and concepts
  • Students are at different levels in terms of essential skills proficiency – this adds too many challenges to an instructor already facing time and resource constraints
  • Adult academic upgrading and literacy programs do not include WES so many students enter trades programs with no skills in these areas
  • Essential skills are often addressed out of context and learners are not motivated to address concepts they see as irrelevant
  • For many industry-based instructors, the concept of integration is new and unfamiliar
  • Many “generic” employment preparation and employability skills programs do not have technical curricula to integrate into
  • Technical programs tend to target curriculum delivery rather than student needs
  • Many instructors fear that including WES will interfere with delivery of prescribed apprenticeship programs
  • many college administrators are “old school” and do not understand the importance of integrating WES and employability skills into technical programs
  • many instructors have never been in industry (or not recently) and are unaware of the WES needs “on the ground”
  • many students are so lacking in literacy and numeracy skills that it is easier for instructors to focus only on technical skills or to remove these students from training programs
  • the kinds of documents and essential skills promoted in many workplaces can be intimidating and foreign for learners not from “mainstream” culture – it is very challenging to address these concerns for instructors who lack cultural awareness training
  • some instructors may have weak WES skills themselves and feel uncomfortable introducing Wes training into their classrooms
  • some instructors have weak computer skills or they are unfamiliar/uncomfortable with new learning technologies and therefore opposed to using it
  • professionals with high mother tongue proficiency are sometimes frustrated by ESL needs