IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INITIATIVE

The scope of the Adult Development Reform Initiative is extensive and will require several years to complete.

Therefore the department will coordinate the process to ensure that:

changes are carefully staged so that current learners are not penalized in any way;

significant changes are piloted and evaluated before implementation;

outcome standards are universally adhered to within the system and

standards are acceptable to employers and providers of further education or training.

To begin the task of operationalizing the Policies and Guidelines the department established an ADRI Steering Committee and the following four Task Teams:

• Articulation
  
  
• Prior Learning Assessment and Portfolio Development
  
  
• Curriculum Alignment (Two of the committees working on curriculum alignment are ESL and Basic Literacy; others will be determined by the Task Team.)
  
  
• Collaboration and Marketing

The team members are front-line providers, department personnel and representatives from other provincial departments. Employers, labour organizations and learners will be involved through appropriate focus group sessions and workshops.(4)

The department also established a Department Team to operationalize the Department Role Statement. This group will rationalize departmental roles and responsibilities and adjust the funding structure, both program and individual, to support the work of the reform initiative and the Task Teams.(5)

The teams will develop and recommend action plans to the department through the Steering Committee. Since it is essential that all teams work with common terminology, the Articulation Task Team will produce a preliminary terminology articulation report by December 1, 1996. They will attempt to match the terminology to that of other provinces as closely as possible to facilitate future inter-provincial cooperation.

CONCLUSION

This project is guided by the vision that adult development programs and services are essential to help many adult Albertans obtain and retain employment now and into the next century. These programs and services will provide the opportunity for participants to develop that combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for responsible citizenship, lifelong learning, and the transition directly to work or through further education/training to work. These opportunities can only be provided, within existing resources, through a realignment and restructuring of adult development programs and services into an articulated system that is client-centered, career focused, outcomes-based, collaborative and affordable.

Collaboration is an essential element of the initiative. An open process in the development of an articulated system is as important as the documents produced at the end. Conversations across stakeholder groups about "what clients need to know and be able to do" are essential for the long term success of the efforts. As well, articulation is a dynamic on-going process. It should facilitate dialogue and sharing among professionals; the learners will be the beneficiaries.

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