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WORKPLACE LITERACY INTERVIEW GUIDE - JUDGING THE QUALITY AND EFFECTIVENESS

OF LITERACY PROVIDERS

National Alliance of Business

National Workforce Assistance Collaborative builds the capacity of

the service providers working with small and mid-sized companies in

order to help businesses adopt high-performance work practices,

become more competitive, and ultimately advance the well-being of

their employees. The Collaborative was created with a $650,000

cooperative agreement grant from the Department of Labor to the

National Alliance of Business. Current partners on the project

include the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, the

Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy at The Pennsylvania State

University, the Maryland Center for Quality and Productivity, and

the National Labor-Management Association. The Collaborative

provides assistance in four areas: employee training, labor-

management relations, work restructuring, and workplace literacy.

For more information, contact Bernice Jones at the National Alliance

of Business, 202/289-2915.

Development and printing of this publication was funded under Grant

Number F-4357-3-00-80-60 by the U.S. Department of Labor. Opinions

expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the

official policy of the U.S. Department of Labor.

1995 National Alliance of Business

R5580

To order additional copies, contact:

National Alliance of Business

Distribution

P.O. Box 501

Annapolis Junction, MD 20702

1-800-787-7788

(fax: 301-206-9789)

------------------------------------------------------------------

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This Workplace Literacy Interview Guide was developed by Terri

Bergman with the assistance of Louise Bertsche, Stephen Mitchell,

Michael Puzia, and Peggy Siegel.

The National Workforce Assistance Collaborative would like to thank

the many workplace literacy specialists who reviewed draft versions

of the Guide and provided advice and guidance:

* Judith Alamprese, COSMOS Corporation

* Eunice N. Askov, Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy,

Penn State University

* Ann Belletire, Illinois Secretary of State Literacy Office

* Dale Brandenburg, Labor-Management Council for Economic Renewal

* Forrest P. Chisman, Southport Institute for Policy Analysis

* Lynne Fry, U.S. Department of Labor

* Regina Guaraldi, Workplace Literacy Programs,

Miami-Dade Community College

* Karl O. Haigler, The Salem Company

* Inaam Mansoor, Wilson School

* Michael O'Brian, CertainTeed Corporation

* Anthony Sarmiento, AFL-CIO Department of Education

* Sondra G. Stein, National Institute for Literacy

* Johan Uvin, Massachusetts Adult and Community Learning Services

* Kenneth Edwards, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

This Interview Guide could not have been completed without their

help.

Bernice Jones, Denise Hall, Cathy Stewart, and Kim West handled the

design and production work.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.....................................................3

THIS GUIDE IN CONTEXT............................................4

HOW TO USE THE INTERVIEW GUIDE...................................5

QUESTIONS........................................................6

ANSWERS..........................................................7

1. How will you ensure that the workplace literacy training

program you develop will be tied to my company's business

objectives, and will reflect company, employee, and customer

needs?...........................................................7

2. How will you ensure that the workplace literacy training

curricula, structure, and delivery methods you develop will

reflect my workplace and its requirements?...................... 8

3. How will you ensure that the workplace literacy training

program you develop will be tailored to the needs of trainees

from my company?................................................ 9

4. How will you customize assessments to the workplace

requirements in my company?.....................................10

5. How will you ensure that program delivery is flexible and

will encourage and facilitate the participation of employees?...11

6. How will you ensure that staff involved in the development

and delivery of programs are highly skilled and well trained?...12

7. How will you use evaluations to assure training quality?.....13

INTERVIEW WORKSHEET.............................................14

COMPARISON CHART................................................16

ADVISORY GROUPS.................................................18

INTRODUCTION

PURPOSE OF THE INTERVIEW GUIDE

This Interview Guide can be used to determine whether a workplace

literacy provider has the skills to develop and deliver a successful

workplace literacy program, one that will meet the needs of your

firm and build the productive capacity of its employees.

The Guide will help you, as a business person or labor

representative, to interview prospective workplace literacy

providers and get the most value for your training investment. It

can be used to assess the capabilities of a wide variety of literacy

providers, including those from community colleges or universities,

non-profit organizations, and private consulting firms.

WORKPLACE LITERACY

The Guide was developed from a list of Workplace Literacy Best

Practice Guidelines, constructed by nationally recognized workplace

literacy professionals, business people, and union representatives.

These individuals defined workplace literacy as the following:

Workplace literacy encompasses the basic and higher order skills

individuals need to function in the workplace. Using the definition

of literacy contained in the National Literacy Act of 1991,

workplace literacy is an individual's ability to read, write, and

speak in English, and compute and solve problems at levels of

proficiency necessary to function on the job.

The most effective workplace literacy programs use the workplace as

the context for instruction and take account of workers' skills,

knowledge, and interests in training design and delivery. This

"functional context" approach has benefits for both companies and

employees. The approach:

* Increases participants' motivation to learn, because they can see

the value and applicability of the training;

* Increases participants' ability to learn, because the concepts

being taught are less abstract; and

* Increases training's return to the company, because it is easier for

employees to transfer learning back to their jobs.

INTERVIEW GUIDE STRUCTURE

The Interview Guide is divided into seven sections:

1) Introduction - Explains the purpose of the Guide, defines

workplace literacy training, and lays out the structure of

the Guide.

2) This Guide in Context - Explains how workplace literacy

training fits within the larger context of workforce and

workplace change, and lists other Collaborative products

designed to help small and mid-sized companies in their change

efforts.

3) How to Use the Interview Guide - Provides instruction on using

the Guide.

4) Questions - Introduces the Guide's seven questions.

5) Answers - Discusses the types of answers you should be looking

for from the providers you interview.

6) Interview Worksheet - Provides probes to questions and spaces

to write responses to each of the seven questions.

7) Comparison Chart - Provides space to compare the merits of four

different providers you interview.

THIS GUIDE IN CONTEXT

Workplace literacy training is just one of a number of workforce and

workplace changes companies must undertake to remain competitive in

today's global economy. For many companies, staying profitable

involves the adoption of new technologies, restructuring work

processes, redefining the relationship between employers and

employees, as well as upgrading employees' knowledge, skills, and

abilities.

All of these changes are interrelated. New machines frequently

require new work processes if they are to be fully utilized. New

work processes can lead to changes in the locus of decision making

and a redefinition of both labor's and management's roles. Training

in a variety of skills, including basic reading, writing, and

mathematics, is almost always necessary to put any other changes

into place successfully.

The National Workforce Assistance Collaborative has prepared a

series of tools to help small and mid-sized companies select the

high quality service providers and products they need to undertake

successful workforce and workplace changes, including:

* Employee Training Interview Guide: Judging the Quality

and Effectiveness of Training Providers,

* Employee Training Product Checklist: Judging the Quality

of Training Products,

* Labor-Management Interview Guide: Judging the Quality

and Effectiveness of Labor-Management Relations Consultants,

* Work Restructuring Interview Guide: Judging the Quality

and Effectiveness of Work Restructuring Consultants,

* Workplace Literacy Interview Guide: Judging the Quality

and Effectiveness of Workplace Literacy Providers, and

* Workplace Literacy Product Checklist: Judging the Quality

of Workplace Literacy Products.

In addition, the Collaborative has published a listing of national

membership organizations and state program offices supporting

workforce and workplace changes in employee training, labor-

management relations, work restructuring, and workplace literacy.

Companies seeking training or consultant services, tools, or

resources in any one of the four areas can use this guide -

Resource Guide: A Key to Organizations Working in Employee

Training, Labor-Management Relations, Work Restructuring, and

Workplace Literacy - to find organizations or agencies that can

steer them in the right direction.

All Collaborative publications can be ordered through the National

Alliance of Business Distribution Center, listed on the inside front

cover. Collaborative products can also be downloaded from our

Internet gopher server. The gopher server address is INFO.PSU.EDU.

After you reach the gopher server, open "Information Servers at Penn

State," then open "Research Centers and Institutes" to find the

National Workforce Assistance Collaborative gopher site.

HOW TO USE THE INTERVIEW GUIDE

Before conducting an interview, you should read the Questions and

Answers sections of the Guide. This will provide you with an

understanding of the questions you might ask, and the answers a

high-quality workplace literacy provider would give in responding to

these questions. Once you have familiarized yourself with the

questions and answers, you can use the Interview Worksheet to

conduct an actual interview.

The ideal workplace literacy provider would make all of the points

contained in the answers to the seven questions in this Guide.

However, you will probably find that the different providers you

interview will vary in the percentage of points they cover, have

differing strengths and weaknesses, and charge relatively divergent

fees. In the end, you will have to use your own set of criteria to

select one from among the providers you interview. Factors to

consider include:

* The percentage of points they cover;

* The relative value you place on the points the providers

either did or did not cover;

* Your ability to use other methods to address any of the

points not covered by a provider; and

* The fees charged by the providers _ compared to each other

and to your budget for workplace literacy training.

You should also ask each provider you interview to supply:

* A corporate resume;

* Resumes of any staff they intend to use for your program; and

* A list of references.

Your review of these items (which are also mentioned in question 6

in the Answers section) should also guide your final selection.

Check to see what experience the providers and their staffs have in

your industry, with companies of comparable size, and with training

needs similar to yours. Call their references and determine how

satisfied they were with the services they received.

It is worth the investment in time up front to ensure that what will

probably be a larger investment in training provides the dividends

you are looking for.

Finally, you can use the Comparison Chart at the back of this Guide

to summarize the results of the interviews you conduct and the other

information you collect for up to four workplace literacy providers.

This will make it easier for you to compare the relative merits of

the providers.

QUESTIONS

When you first sit down with a provider, you will probably start the

interview by stating your needs, or the problems you want addressed,

and asking the provider what he or she recommends as a solution.

During the discussion that follows, you will want to determine the

provider's ability to develop and deliver a high quality workplace

literacy program targeted at meeting your company's specific needs.

To do this, you could check to be sure that the provider supplies

answers to the following seven questions:

1. How will you ensure that the workplace literacy training program

you develop will be tied to my company's business objectives, and

will reflect company, employee, and customer needs?

2. How will you ensure that the workplace literacy training

curricula, structure, and delivery methods you develop will

reflect my workplace and its requirements?

3. How will you ensure that the workplace literacy training program

you develop will be tailored to the needs of trainees from my

company?

4. How will you customize assessments to the workplace requirements

in my company?

5. How will you ensure that program delivery is flexible and will

encourage and facilitate the participation of employees?

6. How will you ensure that staff involved in the development and

delivery of programs are highly skilled and well trained?

7. How will you use evaluations to assure training quality?

ANSWERS

While every provider's answers to these questions will vary, there

are a number of key points that you should expect to hear in a high-

quality provider's answers.

1. How will you ensure that the workplace literacy training program

you develop will be tied to my company's business objectives, and

will reflect company, employee, and customer needs?

+ Align the program with company objectives, practices, and job

requirements. Customization is key to a successful workplace

literacy program. The provider should have plans for learning

about your company and aligning the workplace literacy program

with your company's overall performance objectives, workplace

practices, and job requirements.

+ Involve management, supervisors, employees, and unions in

development. To be successful, a workplace literacy program

must be supported widely throughout your company. It is

critical that the provider develop good working relationships

with all of the key stakeholders. Management, supervisors,

employees, and, in unionized workplaces, union representatives

must be included in all stages of the development and delivery

of the workplace literacy program. This may be accomplished by

establishing an advisory committee of stakeholder

representatives, as well as using stakeholder representatives

on specific task-oriented work groups.

+ Address employee needs and provide value to employees.

Workplace literacy training must meet not only your company

needs, but also the needs of its employees, otherwise they

might not participate. The provider should teach trainees

skills that have value beyond the trainees' current jobs,

skills that will enhance their job security, employability,

and/or incomes.

+ Develop a long-term company human resource development

strategy. Training is not a "one shot" event. The provider

should be able to help you build human resource development

into your company's business strategy, and link employees'

continuous learning with your firm's continuous improvement.

2. How will you ensure that the workplace literacy training

curricula, structure, and delivery methods you develop will

reflect my workplace and its requirements?

+ Address skills needed to perform work on the job. Training must

encompass the basic and higher order skills needed to meet

company goals and customer needs, and carry out company work

processes and job tasks, including the skills needed to solve

problems, work in teams, and make decisions related to products

and processes affecting work. The provider should have plans

for learning about employees' jobs (current and prospective)

and the literacy skills required for their work. Possible

methods for doing this include conducting focus groups,

interviewing and/or shadowing exemplary employees, and

analyzing written materials used on the job.

+ Incorporate company processes, tasks, materials, technology,

and equipment. Training activities should incorporate and draw

on company work processes, tasks, and materials. Training media

should make use of company technology and equipment. The

provider should plan to customize the curriculum so that

literacy lessons are clearly linked to the work processes and

tasks in your company. In addition, the provider should use

the technology and equipment in your company, as well as such

company materials as technical training manuals, personnel

directives, safety instructions, and insurance forms for

instructional lessons.

+ Develop exercises for which employees solve job problems.

Training activities should include regular opportunities for

trainees to use the knowledge and skills they are gaining to

solve problems commonly encountered on the job. The provider

should have plans for learning what job problems employees

face, and for creating instructional exercises that provide

trainees with the opportunity to use their newly-developed

skills to solve these problems.

+ Promote continuous learning. Training should build trainee

understanding that learning is an integral and ongoing

component of successful work performance. It should also

foster a desire for continued learning which can benefit other

aspects of the learners' lives. The provider should have plans

for demonstrating the value of training both inside and outside

of work. While the focus of instruction should be on literacy

tasks needed on the job, the provider should also show trainees

how their new skills can be used in their personal lives.

+ Link with other training efforts. When possible, workplace

literacy skills training should be linked with other training

required in the workplace. If you already have other training

programs, the provider should agree to study those programs and

make plans at least for sequenced training, if not for creating

a more integrated training program. If you do not have other

training programs, the provider should be willing to work with

you, and possibly other providers with different specialties,

to create a more comprehensive human resource development plan

for your company.

3. How will you ensure that the workplace literacy training program

you develop will be tailored to the needs of trainees from my

company?

+ Assess employee skills. Before a curriculum can be developed,

it is necessary to know not just the skills required in the

workplace, but also the skills employees already have. That

way, a curriculum can be developed to bridge the gap between

what is known and what needs to be known. The provider should

plan to assess the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and

behaviors of a sample of employees from the workplace literacy

program's target population in order to develop an

understanding of the existing "gap." Once the program is

actually begun, all participants will have to be assessed.

(The assessment instrument for this task will be discussed in

question 4.)

+ Allow for self-paced learning. The training structure should

allow participants to learn at their own pace. Employees will

come to the training with widely divergent skills and learning

abilities. Trainees who have already mastered a skill should

be allowed to move on, while those who need extra time to learn

should be provided with it. The provider should have a variety

of techniques for dealing with this problem, such as self-paced

computer programs, self-paced workbooks, and one-on-one

instruction.

+ Use a variety of instructional methods and media. Workplace

literacy training should use a variety of instructional methods

and media, allowing for differences in the learning styles and

the ethnic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds of individual

trainees. The provider should plan to use a variety of

instructional methods to teach and reinforce the same skills.

Possibilities include lectures, small group instruction,

discussions, group learning activities, role playing, tutoring,

computer exercises, workbook exercises, application exercises,

reading assignments, and homework.

+ Tailor training to individual skill development needs. Training

should meet individual skill development needs, as defined by

each trainee's own skill levels and training goals. Not all

employees will need to study the same skills. Each will come

with a different base of knowledge, and each will have

different learning goals. The provider should plan on dividing

the training curriculum into discrete training modules so that

individual employees can limit their participation to the

modules that are relevant to them.

+ Provide employees with ongoing feedback. Trainees should be

provided regular, ongoing feedback concerning their progress

while in the training program. The purpose of a workplace

literacy program is not to sort people by ability, but to raise

the skill levels of all participants. Therefore, the provider

should have plans for helping participants to gauge their

progress and, if necessary, take steps to accelerate that

progress.

+ Define success as attainment of objectives, not amount of time

spent in training. Training success should be tied to the

attainment of learning objectives, not the amount of time spent

in training. The provider should have plans for bringing all

trainees' skills up to required levels. The amount of time

trainees spend in training should be allowed to vary.

4. How will you customize assessments to the workplace requirements

in my company?

+ Assess skills needed in the workplace, not "grade levels." The

assessment instruments used should be valid for training

purposes and reliable indicators of the literacy skills

required in the workplace. While assessment instruments that

measure employee literacy skills on a grade level scale are the

most commonly used, they are not the best measures of the

skills required in the workplace. It would be better if the

provider developed measures that were based on company

objectives and an evaluation of the literacy skills required in

your workplace. However, you may find that there will be a

tradeoff between the relevance of an assessment instrument and

the degree to which it has been tested for validity and

reliability.

+ Explain assessment procedures to employees. Expected

performance outcomes and assessment methods should be clearly

communicated to participants. Many of the employees in your

company that need workplace literacy instruction will have a

history of school failure. Trainees should be given clear and

honest information on both the skill goals of the program and

the assessment process so that they do not experience any

unnecessary anxiety.

+ Assess participants' needs, interests, and abilities. Each

participant's needs, interests, and abilities should be

assessed prior to training and should inform the participant's

individualized training plan. As mentioned earlier, employees

will come to the training with widely divergent skills and

learning abilities. Before employees enter the workplace

literacy program, the provider should assess their skills and

their goals, and then create individualized training plans that

meet their needs. (This was also discussed under question 3.)

+ Assess employees periodically during the program to guide their

learning. Participants should be assessed during training so

that needed changes can be made in their training plans. The

provider should plan to periodically assess all of the trainees

to ensure that they are all mastering the skills being taught.

Where trainees are having difficulties, the provider should

have plans for providing extra, alternative instruction to

bring them up to the required skill level. (This was also

discussed under question 3.)

+ Assess employees at program completion to measure program

success. Trainees should be assessed at the completion of

training to ascertain learning gains and overall program

performance. It is important that the provider plan to measure

the success of the program by documenting skill gains.

5. How will you ensure that program delivery is flexible and will

encourage and facilitate the participation of employees?

+ Market and promote the program to employees. Employees may need

to be encouraged to participate in workplace literacy programs.

The provider should have a strategy for marketing and promoting

the program within your company, and for providing employees

with information on the instructional process and support

mechanisms that will be a part of the program.

+ Provide incentives to employees. Incentives can also serve as

encouragement for participation. Employees who complete

training successfully should be recognized and rewarded for

their achievements. As mentioned earlier, employees must see

some value to them if they are to participate in the workplace

literacy training. The provider should be able to give you

ideas on how to recognize and reward successful trainees.

These rewards could include anything from write-ups in the

company newsletter, participation in recognition programs, and

small gifts to bonuses, raises, and promotions. It is

important to remember, though, that some employees may not want

others to know that they are participating in the program. For

these employees, articles in company newsletters and public

recognition programs would be inappropriate.

+ Be flexible about when and where classes are held. Training

sessions should be held at times and in locations convenient to

employees. The provider should be flexible about where and

when classes are held. The provider should suggest that

employees be included with managers in making logistical

decisions.

+ Create modular programs. Training should be modular so that it

can be adapted to workplace schedules. Work and family already

consume most, if not all, of employees' time. Adding training

to their schedules will be difficult. If employees are

training on work time, the provider will need to have a

training program that is flexible enough to accommodate work

responsibilities. If employees are training on personal time,

the provider will need to be able to accommodate employees'

personal time commitments.

+ Ensure program confidentiality. Confidentiality of employee

assessment results and training participation must be assured

both to limit any discomfort employees may feel about

participating in literacy training and to avoid adverse

employment effects. If employees are going to participate in

the workplace literacy program, they will need to feel assured

that their current skill levels and their performance in the

literacy program will be confidential information _ available

only to the provider. Providers need to have a plan both for

keeping information confidential and for assuring employees

that the information will be kept confidential.

6. How will you ensure that staff involved in the development and

delivery of programs are highly skilled and well trained?

If the provider intends to supply the training staff:

+ Understand adult learning, adult education principles, and

literacy instruction. The provider's staff should have an

understanding of adult learning, adult education principles,

and literacy instruction. The provider should supply you with

information on the trainers' educational backgrounds so that

you can check for this knowledge base.

+ Have skills in administration, marketing/negotiating, literacy

skills analysis, curriculum development and instruction,

education counseling, assessment, and evaluation. Staff, either

singly or as a team, should have skills in program

administration, marketing/negotiating, literacy skills

analysis, curriculum development and instruction, education

counseling, assessment, and evaluation. Check the educational

background of the provider's staff, as well as the provider's

corporate resume describing earlier projects.

+ Be knowledgeable about the corporate environment. Staff should

be knowledgeable about the corporate environment, working with

individuals at all levels of the company, and ideally, your

industry. Check staff's previous employment for work in a

corporation and your industry, as well as the provider's

corporate resume. In addition, ask the provider for references

from other companies and talk with those references.

+ Be able to work with various ethnic, linguistic, and cultural

backgrounds. Staff should be skilled in working with the

various ethnic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds of

employees. Check staff's educational backgrounds and the

provider's corporate resume. Make sure that the provider - in

particular the staff that will be working with you - has

experience training individuals with backgrounds similar to

those of your company's employees. Get references from

companies with similar employees and talk with them.

+ Be well trained. The provider's staff should be well trained

through preparatory and on-the-job training, and continuous

skills upgrading. Check the provider's own in-house training

program. Make sure that the provider keeps its staff's skills

up to date.

If the provider intends to prepare members of your company's

training or operational staff to serve as trainers:

+ Prepare your company's staff to serve as workplace literacy

instructors. While staff's knowledge of your workplace can be

an asset to training delivery, these individuals may need

assistance preparing to serve as workplace literacy

instructors. The provider should be ready to teach staff the

basic principles of adult learning, adult education, and

literacy instruction, as well as good instructional delivery

techniques.

+ Train your company's staff to deliver the literacy program.

Staff will also need to be familiarized with the workplace

literacy training program the provider develops. The provider

should plan on familiarizing staff with the literacy program,

conducting "train the trainer" sessions, overseeing and

troubleshooting the delivery of the classes, and possibly even

team teaching some of the first literacy classes.

+ Prepare your company's staff to work with various ethnic,

linguistic, and cultural backgrounds. The staff conducting the

workplace literacy classes will need to be skilled in working

with the various ethnic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds

of employees. The provider should have a plan for preparing

staff to work with the varied backgrounds of the employees

likely to be participating in your literacy program.

7.How will you use evaluations to assure training quality?

+ Develop measures of satisfaction, learning, application,

effectiveness, and process. The provider should plan to work

with you to ensure that training objectives are measurable and

to develop multiple measures of success. Evaluation measures

should gauge not only participant satisfaction and learning

gains, but also the application of new skills on the job,

improvement in firm productivity and profitability, and the

quality of the training process. Measuring the quality of the

process will enable you to make any needed changes in the

training structure. Measuring training effectiveness will

enable you to determine the payoffs of the program in terms of

your company's broader goals and objectives.

+ Involve management, supervisors, employees, and unions in

evaluation development. Evaluation should not take place in a

vacuum. Management, supervisors, employees, and, in unionized

workplaces, union representatives should participate in

evaluating program effectiveness and its responsiveness to

their needs. The provider should plan to include these

stakeholders in planning the evaluations to be sure both that

the evaluations capture information that is important to the

stakeholders and that the evaluation process is one with which

they are all comfortable.

+ Incorporate feedback from evaluations into training on an

ongoing basis. Feedback from evaluations should be incorporated

into the training process on an ongoing basis. Evaluations

must be conducted regularly to ensure that the training program

is meeting its objectives. The provider should have plans for

using evaluations to monitor the program and make adjustments

when necessary.

INTERVIEW WORKSHEET

--> Feel free to make copies of the Worksheet <--

Instructions: Ask each question along with any follow-up questions

needed to make sure that the literacy provider has had an

opportunity to address each of the points contained in the Answers

section of the Guide. Probes listed with each of the questions

should help you to formulate any follow-up questions you need to

ask.

1.How will you ensure that the workplace literacy training program

you develop will be tied to my company's business objectives, and

will reflect company, employee, and customer needs?

Probes:

* Align the program with company objectives, practices,

and job requirements.

* Involve management, supervisors, employees, and unions

in development.

* Address employee needs and provide value to employees.

* Develop a long-term company human resource development

strategy.

2. How will you ensure that the workplace literacy training

curricula, structure, and delivery methods you develop will

reflect my workplace and its requirements?

Probes:

* Address skills needed to perform work on the job.

* Incorporate company processes, tasks, materials, technology,

and equipment.

* Develop exercises for which employees solve job problems.

* Promote continuous learning.

* Link with other training efforts.

3. How will you ensure that the workplace literacy training program

you develop will be tailored to the needs of trainees from my

company?

Probes:

* Assess employee skills.

* Allow for self-paced learning.

* Use a variety of instructional methods and media.

* Tailor training to individual skill development needs.

* Provide employees with ongoing feedback.

* Define success as attainment of objectives, not amount of

time spent in training.

4.How will you customize assessments to the workplace requirements

in my company?

Probes:

* Assess skills needed in the workplace, not "grade levels."

* Explain assessment procedures to employees.

* Assess participants' needs, interests, and abilities.

* Assess employees periodically during the program to guide

their learning.

* Assess employees at program completion to measure program

success.

5.How will you ensure that program delivery is flexible and will

encourage and facilitate the participation of employees?

Probes:

* Market and promote the program to employees.

* Provide incentives to employees.

* Be flexible about when and where classes are held.

* Create modular programs.

* Ensure program confidentiality.

6. How will you ensure that staff involved in the development

and delivery of programs are highly skilled and well trained?

Probes if the provider is supplying the training:

* Understand adult learning, adult education principles,

and literacy instruction.

* Have skills in administration, marketing/negotiating,

literacy skills analysis, curriculum development and

instruction, education counseling, assessment, and evaluation.

* Be knowledgeable about the corporate environment.

* Be able to work with various ethnic, linguistic, and cultural

backgrounds.

* Be well trained.

Probes if the provider is preparing your company's training

or operational staff to serve as trainers:

* Prepare your company's staff to serve as workplace

literacy instructors.

* Train your company's staff to deliver the literacy program.

* Prepare your company's staff to work with various ethnic,

linguistic, and cultural backgrounds.

7. How will you use evaluations to assure training quality?

Probes:

* Develop measures of satisfaction, learning, application,

effectiveness, and process.

* Involve management, supervisors, employees, and unions

in evaluation development.

* Incorporate feedback from evaluations into training on

an ongoing basis.

COMPARISON CHART

--> Feel free to make copies of the Comparison Chart <--

Instructions: Put the names of each of the providers you

interviewed in the blank boxes across the top. Use the notes from

your Interview Worksheets with these providers to place a checkmark

in the boxes corresponding to the points the different providers

made. Add up the number of points covered by each provider. Also

note whether the providers' corporate resumes, staff resumes, and

references demonstrate quality and experience, and note the

providers' costs. In comparing providers, do not rely solely on the

totals. Be sure also to compare which points the providers did and

did not cover and whether you can address the points not covered by

a provider, whether the providers' materials demonstrate quality and

relevant experience, and program costs.

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| QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS |######|######|######|

| |######|######|######|

| 1. Ties training to business objectives? |######|######|######|

| objectives. |______|______|______|

| and employees. |______|______|______|

| - Addresses employee needs. |______|______|______|

| resource strategy. |______|______|______|

| |######|######|######|

| 2. Reflects workplace and its requirements? |######|######|######|

| - Addresses skills needed for the job. |______|______|______|

| materials. |______|______|______|

| problems. |______|______|______|

| - Promotes continuous learning. |______|______|______|

| - Links with other training efforts. |______|______|______|

| |######|######|######|

| 3. Tailors training to trainees' needs? |######|######|######|

| - Assesses employee skills. |______|______|______|

| - Allows for self-paced learning. |______|______|______|

| methods. |______|______|______|

| needs. |______|______|______|

| - Provides employees with feedback. |______|______|______|

| objectives. |______|______|______|

| |######|######|######|

| 4. Customizes assessments to the |######|######|######|

| workplace? |######|######|######|

| - Assesses skills not "grade levels." |______|______|______|

| - Explains assessments to employees. |______|______|______|

| and abilities. |______|______|______|

| - Assesses trainees' periodically. |______|______|______|

| completion. |______|______|______|

| |######|######|######|

| 5. Provides program that encourages |######|######|######|

| participation? |######|######|######|

| employees. |______|______|______|

| - Provides employees with incentives. |______|______|______|

| locations. |______|______|______|

| - Creates modular programs. |______|______|______|

| - Ensures program confidentiality. |______|______|______|

| |######|######|######|

| 6. Provides highly skilled training staff? |######|######|######|

| education. |______|______|______|

| skills. |______|______|______|

| practices. |______|______|______|

| individuals. |______|______|______|

| - Is well trained. |______|______|______|

| Or prepares your company's staff |######|######|######|

| - to be trainers? |______|______|______|

| instructors. |______|______|______|

| program. |______|______|______|

| of individuals. |______|______|______|

| |######|######|######|

| 7. Uses evaluations to assure quality? |######|######|######|

| quality. |______|______|______|

| employees. |______|______|______|

| - Incorporates feedback continuously. |______|______|______|

| |######|######|######|

| TOTAL POINTS |______|______|______|

| |######|######|######|

| MATERIALS DEMONSTRATE EXPERIENCE AND QUALITY |######|######|######|

| - Corporate resumes. |______|______|______|

| - Staff resumes. |______|______|______|

| - References. |______|______|______|

| |######|######|######|

| COST |______|______|______|

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ADVISORY GROUPS

Stephen Mitchell

Project Director

Terri Bergman

Products and Services Manager

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BOARD

Chair

William H. Kolberg

National Alliance of Business

Eunice Askov

Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy, The Pennsylvania State

University

William L. Batt, Jr.

Consultant

Robert Baugh

Human Resource Development Institute

Clair Brown

National Center for the Workplace

Robert Fien

Stone Construction Equipment, Inc.

Evelyn Ganzglass

National Governors' Association

Marshall Goldberg

The Alliance for Employee Development, Inc.

Andy Hartman

National Institute for Literacy

Cathy Kramer

Association for Quality and Participation

David Pierce

American Association of Community Colleges

Jack Russell

The Modernization Forum

Benjamin Schneider

University of Maryland

Dennis Sienko

Prairie State 2000 Authority

Stephen Sleigh

International Association of Machinists

Pamela Tate

Council for Adult and Experiential Learning

Hugh Tranum

National Labor-Management

Benjamin Tregoe

Kepner-Tregoe, Inc.

Thomas Tuttle

Maryland Center for Quality and Productivity

Joan Wills

Institute for Educational Leadership

John Zimmerman

MCI

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EMPLOYEE TRAINING

Chair

Pamela Tate

Council for Adult and Experiential Learning

Brian Bosworth

Regional Technology Strategies

Thomas L. Clogston

Boeing Defense and Space Group

Kenneth Edwards

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

Phyllis Eisen

National Association of Manufacturers

Wendell Fletcher

Congressional Office of Technology Assessment

Patti Glenn

Texas Instruments

Ruth Haines

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Janet Steele Holloway

Kentucky Small Business Development Center

John Hoops

Bay State Skills Corporation Center

Tom Huberty

Upper Mid-West Manufacturing Technology Center

Dan Hull

The Center for Occupational Research and Development

Victoria Kraeling

Southeastern Institute for Advanced Technologies

Arny Manseth

US West

Alfred Moye

Hewlett Packard

Frederic Nichols

National Coalition for Advanced Manufacturing

Joan Patterson

UAW/Chrysler National Training

Paula Reeder

Sallie Mae

Martha Reesman

National Center for Manufacturing Sciences

Lee M. Shrader, Jr.

Great Lakes Manufacturing Technology Center

Duc-Le To

U.S. Department of Education

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LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATI0NS

Chair

Hugh Tranum

National Labor-Management Association

Nick Argona

Xerox Corporation

William L. Batt, Jr.

Consultant

Betty Bednarczyk

SEIU- Local 13

Barry Bluestone

University of Massachusetts

Rena Cross

Foamade Industries

Joel Cutcher-Gershenfield

Michigan State University

David Fontaine

Maryland Labor-Management Committee

Pat France

Stark County Labor-Management Council

Robert Frey

The CIN-MADE Corporation

Maria Heidkamp

Wisconsin Labor-Management Council

Edsel Jones

Mapleton Local No. 7-7807

Robert Landsman

New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations

Malcolm Lovell

National Planning Association

Charlene Powell

Kentucky Association of Labor-Management Committees

John Stepp

Restructuring Associates

Brian Turner

Work and Technology Institute

Earl Willford

Bureau of Mediation

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WORK RESTRUCTURING

Chair

Thomas Tuttle

Maryland Center for Quality and Productivity

Eileen Appelbaum

Economic Policy Institute

Mike Beyerlein

The Center for the Study of Work Teams

Jane Reese Coulbourne

Restructuring Associates, Inc.

John Dodd

Computer Science Corporation

Ned Ellington

Productivity and Quality Center

Michael Galiazzo

Regional Manufacturing Institute

Debbie Goldman

Communications Workers of America

Bruce Herman

Garment Industry Development Corporation

Robert King

Goal/QPC

Vaughn Limbrick

Society for Human Resource Management

Peter Manella

New York State Department of Economic Development

Robert Meyer

Work in Northeast Ohio

Joe Rigali

Sanden International, USA

Jill Scheldrup

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Maureen Sheahan

Labor-Management Council for Economic Renewal

Peggy Siegel

National Alliance of Business

Audrey Theis

Maryland Department of Economic and Employment Development

Edwin Toussaint

Xerox Corporation

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WORKPLACE LITERACY

Chair

Eunice Askov

Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy,

The Pennsylvania State University

Judith Alamprese

COSMOS Corporation

Lorraine Amico

National Governors' Association

Dale Brandenburg

Labor-Management Council for Economic Renewal

Jinx (Helen) Crouch

Literacy Volunteers of America

Regina Guaraldi

Miami-Dade Community College

Karl O. Haigler

The Salem Company

Mary Ann Jackson

Wisconsin Technical College Board

Inaam Mansoor

Wilson School

Donna Miller-Parker

State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

Michael O'Brian

CertainTeed Corporation

James Parker

U.S. Department of Education

James Ryan

District 1199C

Anthony Sarmiento

AFL-CIO

Johan Uvin

Massachusetts Adult and Community Learning Services

Robert Visdos

NETWORK

Jo Ann Weinberger

Center for Literacy, Inc.