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Report urges new approach to adult education, workforce development |
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Charles Stewart Mott Foundation: A new report suggests that the U.S. is losing valuable ground as a world leader in education and workforce development, and is at risk of being left behind in the global economy. "Reach Higher, America: Overcoming Crisis in the U.S. Workforce" notes that soaring dropout rates among high school students and diminished literacy skills among adults are contributing to an increasingly ill-prepared labor market. "Reach Higher, America" points to job readiness among U.S workers as a growing concern. Many careers that offer growth potential -- such as healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and alternative energy -- require employees to have increased competency in reading and writing, and at least some education or training beyond high school. However, studies show that one in three young people in this country drop out of high school before earning their diploma, while nearly 30 million adults lack basic literacy skills. The study's director notes that there are an estimated 150 million workers ages 16 years and older in the U.S., many of whom require adult education and workforce development services. The report points to community colleges, which provide a third of the country's adult instructional services, as vital educational forces that can help shape the nation's labor market. The Mott Foundation helped fund the "Reach Higher, America" report through a two-year, $200,000 grant in 2006 to the Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy, which administers the commission.
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