The Right Stuff for Success: Adult Workforce Development (AWD) Programs across the Country Ore Serving Students More Effectively Than Ever by Merging Well-Planned Curriculum with Innovative Practices. Educators Say This Is Critical Not Only to Student Success, but Also to Keeping Pace with Industry Trends and Making AWD Programs Appealing to Employers

Lozada, Marlene, Techniques

Seasoned and successful AWD professionals will tell you there's no cookie-cutter strategy that can guarantee an effective education and training program for adult learners. But combine several key components with an innovative can-do approach and success Will surely follow, says Cathy Maxwell, director of The Academy for High Performance at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Ill.

"We do whatever it takes to get the job done," Maxwell says about the staff and instructors that run the academy's Integrated Manufacturing Management Program. Whether that means driving textbooks out to a worksite classroom or team-teaching a computer literacy course at a local high school, the program's success lies in its fundamentals, which were recently noted by the National Dissemination Center for Career-Technical Education (NDC-CTE). In December, at ACTE's annual convention, Maxwell accepted an award from NDC-CTE recognizing the Integrated Manufacturing Management Program as a national demonstration model for 2001. NDC-CTE says the program has several replicable features "including its innovative partnership with local businesses, unique scheduling and alternative delivery methods ... and training of faculty in curriculum integration methodologies."

AWD professionals agree that such components are what continue to succeed and reap benefits in the AWD field. Does your AWD program have the right stuff for success? Here's a look at an effective program and expert advice about what makes successful AWD programs tick.

"The Big Easy" Factor

No, not New Orleans. Here "the big easy" refers to the ease with which a business or student can participate in an AWD program. For example, are classes held at a convenient time and at an accessible location for the full-time employees of a local business? How difficult is it for potential students to register, buy class materials, …

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Publication information: Article title: The Right Stuff for Success: Adult Workforce Development (AWD) Programs across the Country Ore Serving Students More Effectively Than Ever by Merging Well-Planned Curriculum with Innovative Practices. Educators Say This Is Critical Not Only to Student Success, but Also to Keeping Pace with Industry Trends and Making AWD Programs Appealing to Employers. Contributors: Lozada, Marlene - Author. Magazine title: Techniques. Volume: 77. Issue: 4 Publication date: April 2002. Page number: 23+. © 2007 Association for Career and Technical Education. COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group.

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