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The National Alliance of Business is a business-led non-profit organization dedicated to building a quality workforce that meets the needs of employers. The Alliance works with the nation's business leaders as they take an active role in building an internationally competitive workforce through education reform and enhanced job training. Through a variety of activities over its 26-year history, the National Alliance of Business has become the preeminent organization for the development and dissemination of information on the broad spectrum of job training and human resource programs, issues, and developments. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Alliance has regional offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles.
The Alliance works in three areas:
e-mail address:INFO@NAB.COM
Established in 1985, the goals of the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy include the development and dissemination of a sound conceptual and research base in adult literacy, improvement of practice, and leadership and coordination of a comprehensive approach to the delivery of adult literacy services. The Institute's mission stresses the importance of connecting research to improvement in practice; therefore, all projects include collaboration between researchers and practitioners. Each research project results in a practical application in the field, including staff development activities, curriculum and instructional materials development, policy recommendations, and dissemination of research findings through Institute publications, professional publications, and presentations.
Institute projects are built around inter-related themes: workplace literacy, computer-based instruction, inter-generational literacy, special needs populations, customized materials development, and staff development/training. The Institute, internationally recognized for its work in literacy research, development, and dissemination activities, has a strong track record in working with both the public and private sectors to research and develop technology-based instructional models, especially in the areas of workplace literacy and job training.
e-mail address:ISAL@PSUVM.PSU.EDU
The Maryland Center for Quality and Productivity (MCQP, or the Center) is a nationally recognized center for training, technical assistance, and applied research in the areas of quality and productivity improvement. MCQP, which operates as an arm of the University of Maryland's College of Business and Management, has a unique opportunity to tap into vast University resources including a comprehensive research network, a world class library, extensive computer facilities, and highly regarded faculty associates. MCQP's strategic alliance with the University system ensures that the Center's products and services reflect the cutting edge of theoretical and research findings. More important, the Center has first-hand experience helping companies adopt total quality management practices.
A comprehensive portfolio of products and services (including organizational assessments, technical assistance, annual quality conference and awards ceremony, a quarterly newsletter, and an active membership program) enable the Center to meet clients' needs in the Total Quality field through consulting interventions, training, off-the-shelf deliverables, and deliverables tailored to the client's needs and environment. These products and services permit MCQP to pursue its mission of enhancing our economic environment by accelerating the implementation of Total Quality in organizations desiring such assistance.
e-mail address:hfurukawa@bmgtmail.umd.edu
The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) was founded in 1974 as a non-profit organization to identify and remove barriers for adult learners who wish to advance their education and skills. For the first 10 years of its existence, CAEL worked primarily with institutions of higher education to help design assessment tools that would capture and evaluate the prior college-level learning work and life experiences of adult student applicants. In 1984, CAEL expanded its original mission to serve adult learners who also are part of the workforce.
CAEL works to accomplish its mission through a diverse set of activities which include:
CAEL serves large and small employers across a range of industries. CAEL staff, in partnership with employers, their unions (if applicable), and their employees, assists the partners to identify their human resource needs and the effectiveness of current employee education programs. Based on these findings, CAEL advises the employer on how to build a more comprehensive and integrated learning system. CAEL then acts as a neutral broker of services that link employee learning needs/interests and employer skill/knowledge needs, to education provider capacity/expertise. Equally important, CAEL has proven experience in motivating employees to participate in continued education and learning, and removing barriers that prevent them from doing so. CAEL's workforce development programs provide employees with the information, encouragement, and resources they need to define and pursue learning goals. CAEL's supportive services for employees include face-to-face outreach sessions conducted at the worksite, indiv
e-mail address:psynder@libertynet.org
The National Labor-Management Association (formerly the National Association of Labor-Management Committees) was formed in 1977 by a group of executive directors looking for a forum to share information and ideas concerning the process of labor-management cooperation. As the number of area labor-management committees increased, the association grew in size as individuals from labor and management were invited to join the Board of Directors. The NLMA, with a membership of over 130, encourages, promotes, and supports labor-management partnerships in the public and private sectors, as well as on the local, state, and national levels. These partnerships assist communities in retaining and attracting quality jobs, and becoming more competitive in a global economy.
The NLMA places a high priority on affiliation and joint-sponsorship with a wide variety of groups and agencies committed to furthering labor-management cooperation in the United States. The association provides labor-management cooperation assistance to industry-specific groups such as health care and the building and construction services, as well as to private industry councils and the public sector.
The NLMA's services and activities include: on-going education programs; access to an extensive library of videos on subject matter pertinent to Labor-Management Cooperation; co-sponsoring, with the U.S. Department of Labor and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services, the biannual National Labor-Management Conference; a quarterly newsletter; educational programs and workshops in the area of health care as it relates to labor and management roles in developing community health care coalitions; an electronic bulletin board for members to network information, download information, and use E-mail and other informational services, including a Best Providers List; a yearly professional journal; and an annual conference on issues of concern to labor and management.
The skills and abilities NLMA itself offers are augmented by those of its 130-plus members. The Area Labor-Management Committees (ALMCs) are dedicated to promoting labor-management cooperation and working to strengthen, in whatever way possible, the economy in their areas. The ALMCs offer a ready-made network for providing information and assistance to companies, both union and non-union.