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Final Report: The Ecosystem Of 21st Century Employer Supported Education And Training Initiatives, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs Sep 2022

Final Report: The Ecosystem Of 21st Century Employer Supported Education And Training Initiatives, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

The 21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities (21 CLEO) research was launched to increase understanding of the complexities of learning ecosystems in employer-supported education and training initiatives. This work envisions workplace learning as ecosystems shaped by a constellation of factors that operate in dependent and independent ways.


21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities: Research And Findings, Jill Castek, Kathy Harris, Gloria Jacobs, Jen Vanek, Sep 2022

21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities: Research And Findings, Jill Castek, Kathy Harris, Gloria Jacobs, Jen Vanek,

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

The 21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities (21 CLEO) research was launched to increase understanding of the complexities of learning ecosystems. This report is a summary that aims to share insights about working learners employed in frontline service work, the types of education and training initiatives offered to them, and the outcomes from participating in such employer supported education and training initiatives. The findings shared here are drawn from the collection of presentations, blog posts, and other publications through which we have shared our insights along the way (cited throughout), as well as new material developed as part of our final …


When Enthusiasm For Learning Isn’T Enough, 21cleo Research Team May 2022

When Enthusiasm For Learning Isn’T Enough, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

21CLEO Research Blog Post No.26


The Little Things Add Up, 21cleo Research Team May 2022

The Little Things Add Up, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

21CLEO Research Blog Post No.25


21cleo Research Team Draws On Critical Race Theory For New Peer Reviewed Article, 21cleo Research Team May 2022

21cleo Research Team Draws On Critical Race Theory For New Peer Reviewed Article, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

21CLEO Research Blog Post No.24


Ecosystem Of Workplace Education And Training: Where Do Learners Fit?, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek, Jill Castek, Gloria E. Jacobs Apr 2022

Ecosystem Of Workplace Education And Training: Where Do Learners Fit?, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek, Jill Castek, Gloria E. Jacobs

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

Presentation Agenda

● Background on study design and theoretical approaches

● What’s a learning ecosystem?

● Who are the learners?

● Insights gleaned from critical analysis of learner interview data & discussion with key stakeholders (employers, WFD practitioners, educators)

● What’s next in our research


Examining The Perspectives Of Adult Working Learners And Key Stakeholders Using Critical Race Theory, Gloria E. Jacobs, Jill Castek, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek Mar 2022

Examining The Perspectives Of Adult Working Learners And Key Stakeholders Using Critical Race Theory, Gloria E. Jacobs, Jill Castek, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: This article reports on a critical race theory (CRT) analysis of the perspectives of providers of employer-supported educational opportunities and adult learners, who identified as Black, indigenous or as a person of color, and were employed in service industries. Design/methodology/approach: A review of the literature was used to shape an initial interview protocol. Data were collected from working learners in retail, hospitality, restaurants and healthcare industries. An “a priori” coding scheme that drew from CRT was applied to transcripts during analysis. Findings: Analysis revealed that working learners' skills, experiential knowledge, learning mindset, language flexibility and knowledge gained from previous …


Innovative Learning Group, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs Feb 2022

Innovative Learning Group, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

No abstract provided.


Many Voices: Participants As Research Partners, 21cleo Research Team Jan 2022

Many Voices: Participants As Research Partners, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

No abstract provided.


Complexifying Paid Learning, 21cleo Research Team Jan 2022

Complexifying Paid Learning, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

No abstract provided.


“My Background Is A Little Bit More Than What I Am Now", 21cleo Research Team Jan 2022

“My Background Is A Little Bit More Than What I Am Now", 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

No abstract provided.


Working Learners In An Workplace Learning Ecosystem, 21cleo Research Team Jan 2022

Working Learners In An Workplace Learning Ecosystem, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

No abstract provided.


The Role Of The Direct Supervisor: Insights From Research Partners, 21cleo Research Team Jan 2022

The Role Of The Direct Supervisor: Insights From Research Partners, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

Part of our research process has been to engage the voices of individuals involved in employer-supported education and training initiatives or otherwise impacted by the issues we have been investigating. To this end, we hosted a series of convenings to discuss our findings and invited a group of12 interested parties who represented a range of backgrounds and experience in the workforce development system to respond to our initial observations, to make sure that we are doing things that were relevant and useful, and to identify things that we had missed or that we didn't get right.


What Do We Mean By Learning?, 21cleo Research Team Jan 2022

What Do We Mean By Learning?, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

There is no one way a working learner interacts in the workplace to learn. Nor is there just one set of initiatives in the field that promote learning. Learning is a set of interactions that depend on the context, the conditions, the learner, and the learner's goals.


Learning And Advancement: Insights From Research Partners, 21cleo Research Team Jan 2022

Learning And Advancement: Insights From Research Partners, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

Part of our research process has been to engage the voices of individuals involved in employer-supported education and training initiatives or otherwise impacted by the issues we have been investigating. To this end, we hosted a series of convenings to discuss our findings and invited a group of 12 interested parties who represented a range of backgrounds and experience in the workforce development system to respond to our initial observations, to make sure that we are doing things that were relevant and useful, and to identify things that we had missed or that we didn't get right.

Participants in the …


Missing Persona: Insights From Research Partners, 21cleo Research Team Jan 2022

Missing Persona: Insights From Research Partners, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

No abstract provided.


Limitations Of Our Working Learner Persona: Insights From Research Partners, 21cleo Research Team Jan 2022

Limitations Of Our Working Learner Persona: Insights From Research Partners, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

No abstract provided.


Synthesizing And Disseminating Research Findings Digitally, 21cleo Research Team Jan 2022

Synthesizing And Disseminating Research Findings Digitally, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

No abstract provided.


Learning And Job Advancement: Insights From A Follow-Up Questionnaire, 21cleo Research Team Jan 2022

Learning And Job Advancement: Insights From A Follow-Up Questionnaire, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

Over the course of our research project, we were able to interview 27 working Learners employed in frontline service work in the US. Our plans to expand this data set and conduct in-person follow-up interviews was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to have some sense of what our participants' education, work, and lived experiences were like in the year after our interviews, we sent a follow-up questionnaire to all 27 in the summer of 2021 and received responses from 13 individuals. It was important for us to reconnect with these learners after more than a year of societal …


Examining Perspectives Of Immigrant Working Learners & Education Providers: Crt As Analytical Framework, Jen Vanek, Kathy Harris, Gloria E. Jacobs, Jill Castek Jan 2022

Examining Perspectives Of Immigrant Working Learners & Education Providers: Crt As Analytical Framework, Jen Vanek, Kathy Harris, Gloria E. Jacobs, Jill Castek

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

Research questions in this article include:

  • What supports English learners’ participation and engagement in workplace learning?
  • Who gets access to learning opportunities?
  • Whose workplace learning leads to advancement?
  • What do the perspectives of adult working learners reveal about their education and training when viewed through a CRT lens?


Considering Who Has Opportunities For Training And Advancement, 21cleo Research Team Nov 2021

Considering Who Has Opportunities For Training And Advancement, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

The three working learners featured in this blog post represent contrasting experiences that help us to understand the level and quality of support from such mediators as has become evident in our research, and the resu Its on the careers of these learners. Al I names used are pseudonyms.


21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities Convening, 21cleo Research Team Sep 2021

21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities Convening, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

No abstract provided.


Critical Race Theory: Convening 2, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs Aug 2021

Critical Race Theory: Convening 2, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

We seek to identify the factors that incentivize frontline service workers to engage in workplace-sponsored learning activities that support development of 21st century skills, including specific workplace skills, digital literacy, English language and literacy, problem solving, and adult basic skills. Central to this study is elevating the voice of the working learner.


Understanding Learners Through Personna: Convening 1, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs Jun 2021

Understanding Learners Through Personna: Convening 1, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

We seek to identify the factors that incentivize frontline service workers to engage in workplace-sponsored learning activities that support development of 21st century skills, including specific workplace skills, digital literacy, English language and literacy, problem solving, and adult basic skills. Central to this study is elevating the voice of the working learner.


Naomi: Learning For Future Possibilities, 21cleo Research Team Jun 2021

Naomi: Learning For Future Possibilities, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

We've published 5 blog posts that present different personas of working learners. These personas are drawn from our interviews with frontline worker learners across the country who are participating in employer-supported learning opportunities. The personas characterize aspects of a set of real people - capturing and blending them in order to create one story that illustrates a broader representation of a participant in an employer-supported educational program or course.


21st Century Learning Ecosystem For Working Learners, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs Jun 2021

21st Century Learning Ecosystem For Working Learners, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

  • What are the experiences of working learners in employer sponsored learning?
  • What motivates frontline service workers to participate in employer sponsored learning opportunities, many of which are offered online?
  • What factors support working learners’ continued participation and their success?


So, Why Persona?, 21cleo Research Team Apr 2021

So, Why Persona?, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

A colleague asked us a thoughtful and compelling question - why did we create the personas and how do these personas help employers, human resources staff, people working in workforce education, and those in adult education? We wrote this blog post to address those questions.


Dani: Front-Line Supervisor Paid Hourly Seeking Certification For Advancement, 21cleo Research Team Mar 2021

Dani: Front-Line Supervisor Paid Hourly Seeking Certification For Advancement, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In our final two blog posts we offer personas based on people who are working to earn a degree or certificate, including Regina: Healthcare worker seeking to establish a career and, here in our final persona to date, Dani, an hourly frontline supervisor who wants to earn a certificate and advance her career.


Regina: Healthcare Worker Seeking To Establish A Career, 21cleo Research Team Mar 2021

Regina: Healthcare Worker Seeking To Establish A Career, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In this post, we share our fourth persona, this one based on people who are working to earn a degree or certificate.


Elise: Juggling Work, Required Training, And Long-Term Goals, 21cleo Research Team Feb 2021

Elise: Juggling Work, Required Training, And Long-Term Goals, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In past posts we talked about how we are using persona as a research tool and our process for creating personas. In our last post we described Neberu, who is working to feel comfortable interacting with English speakers. In the next several posts we will continue to present the personas we have created.