Accelerating Opportunity Initiative Launches With Grants To Eleven States to Transform Adult Education
Joyce-supported strategic funding collaboration supports community college efforts to increase adults’ employment skills

Joyce Foundation grantee Jobs for the Future (JFF) announced the launch and first round of grants for Accelerating Opportunity: A Breaking Through Initiative, which will challenge states across the country to transform adult education systems into more successful pathways leading to economic security. Accelerating Opportunity targets workers who are underprepared for today’s demanding job market and builds on the legacy of JFF’s innovative adult education initiative Breaking Through, as well as Washington State’s I-BEST program.

Joyce awarded JFF a $1,054,500 grant during the spring 2011 grant-making cycle for the first phase and evaluation of Accelerating Opportunity. In phase one, the first 11 states selected—Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin—were awarded $200,000 to support efforts to redesign adult basic education and postsecondary programs to integrate basic skills with practical, occupational training. Approximately five of these states will then be selected to receive implementation grants of $1.6 million each over three years to implement their plans. The initiative will engage nearly 40 community colleges across the country and impact over 18,000 adult learners.

“The number of adults without skills and credentials beyond high school is a national crisis threatening our economic recovery,” says JFF President and CEO Marlene B. Seltzer. “At the same time, employers are having difficulty finding qualified workers to fill skilled positions that command a higher salary. The trend will only continue—by 2018, 70 percent of all jobs will require workers with some form of postsecondary credentials.”

More than 26 million adults lack a high school diploma. While just over 2.5 million of these individuals are enrolled in adult basic education programs, many of them leave after only a semester or two, not earning any form of postsecondary credential. Accelerating Opportunity seeks to change the way adult basic education is delivered by putting students on track to earn a postsecondary credential and providing them with the support needed to succeed. Educational pathways to higher skills, credentials, and employment will be rigorously tested and independently evaluated. This evidence will be provided to philanthropy, labor, employers, adult education planners and other stakeholders to ensure that adult education programs lead to postsecondary credentials and good jobs.

Accelerating Opportunity is also funded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations. For program and implementation expertise, JFF has engaged the National Council on Workforce Education, National College Transition Network, and the Washington State Board of Community & Technical Colleges as partners.