ADULT DEVELOPMENT |
What Is the Adult Development Reform Initiative?The ADRI is a collaborative effort to establish a policy-based framework for the delivery of education and training programs and services for adults in Alberta who need to improve their basic skills. |
What are its Prime Objectives?The ADRI will focus program responses on two broad fundamental objectives to meet participant needs for: - preparation and training for employment and/or - preparation for entry to post secondary programs or further training. What Will Be the Key Characteristics of a "Reformed" System? · Framework guidelines for the Adult Development System apply to all government sponsored adult development programs. · Articulated program options provide a continuum of learning opportunities to meet participant needs without unnecessary overlap or duplication. · System wide terminology, program standards, student competencies and outcome measures exist for all adult development programs. · Accountability standards and measures exist for all programs and services. Monitoring for program quality, cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness is carried out routinely. · Work experience and other employer involvement components will be piloted and evaluated for inclusion in employment preparation and training programs. · Ongoing program development is done collaboratively among stakeholders and shared throughout the system. · Collaboration among providers, employers, labour and government characterizes the development, implementation and ongoing delivery of adult development programs and services. · Recognition of prior learning and the use of some form of recognized and relevant credential and/or portfolio, is integral to the system. · Marketing of programs and program graduates to employers is of fundamental importance to the reform. · Development or enhancement of programs and services is funded within existing budget allocations. · Clients access services and programs through a consistent and thorough entry process. |
What are the Key Differences from Current Practice· Employment preparation and training programs will be a priority and will integrate essential academics with employability skills, employment preparation and skill development. Relevance to labour market needs must be demonstrated for all programs. · Academic preparation programs will focus on delivering essential academic requirements for entry into post secondary programs or further training or employment. (Alberta Education curriculum courses or their equivalent may be used to achieve this outcome, however, accumulation of credits for a secondary school diploma is not a goal of adult development programs.) · New ways to recognize prior learning and experience and to document participant achievement will be developed. · A common vocabulary of terms, program designations, services, and accreditation will be adopted. · The increased integration of technologies into program delivery to enhance learning is expected to be an outcome of the reform initiative. · Program development will be done collaboratively among providers, shared across the system and funded from within existing budget allocations. |
How Will the Reform Measures Be Carried Out?The ADRI advisory committee established a draft policy and guidelines framework that will provide direction to the implementation planning task teams that will address the implications of the policy framework in practice. The task teams will make recommendations to a steering committee for incorporation in a final draft policy, guidelines and procedures document that will be presented to Corporate Management Committee and the Minister for ratification and approval. Pilot projects will be carried out to develop curricular models and test implementation assumptions. Program and service providers will begin to adapt current practice to conform with the policy and guidelines by the middle of 1997. |
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