DOCUMENT RESUME CE 066 239 ED 368 933 Alamprese, Judith A.; Kay, Ann AUTHOR Literacy on the Cafeteria Line: Evaluation of the TITLE Skills Enhancement Training Program. COSMOS Corp., Washington, DC. INSTITUTION Food and Beverage Workers Union, Local 32, SPONS AGENCY Washington, DC.; Office of Vocational and Adult Education (ED), Washington, DC. National Workplace Literacy Program. PUB DATE 93 NOTE 83p.; For a related document, see ED 343 998. Evaluative/Feasibility (142) PUB TYPE Reports MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Adult Basic Education; Basic Skills; *Cooks; *Dining DESCRIPTORS Facilities; Hospitality Occupations; *Literacy Education; Models; Program Development; *Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Program Implementation; *School Business Relationship; Student Evaluation; Unions; Vocational Education; *Waiters and Waitresses *Workplace Literacy IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT An evaluation assessed the effectiveness of the Skills Enhancement Training (SET) project that developed a partnership between an employee benefits trust fund and the AFL-CIO Human Resources Development Institute. Data about the effectiveness of the partnership model, impact of the instructor training and technical assistance, and impact on workers were collected through interviews, observations of teacher training sessions, analysis of assessment data, and analysis of information on project forms. Conceived by a local cafeteria workers' union, SET offered instruction in reading, writing; math, problem solving, and communications competencies ,.sed in the cafeteria jobs. Participation in SET's educational partnership enhanced company and union awareness of basic skill needs in their industry. SET provided a model for education based within an industry. Analysis of Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System data and learners' comments showed quantitative gains in basic skills and qualitative gains. Instructors agreed the inservice training was needed and worthwhile and found the developed curriculum useful; they had difficulty grasping the nuances of the workplace and generating examples of context-based applications. Interview data indicated workers appreciated the opportunity to learn workplace-related skills. Recommendations were made concerning ongoing SET implementation, lessons for other educational partnerships, and federal technical assistance. (Appendixes list fund members and job classifications.) (YLB) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. ******v**************.i.A********V.*******************i********** on the Cafeteria Line: Literacy Evaluation of the Skills Enhancement Training Program Judith A. Alamprese COSMOS Corporation Ann Kay Ruttenberg, Kilgallon & Associates, Inc. 1993 Prepared for the Food and Beverage Workers Union Local 32 & Employers Benefits Fund under funding from the U.S. Department of Education U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ()Ike of Educatronal Research end Improvement EDrATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER IERICI yThis document has ben reproduced as reterned from the person or orgarnletion COSMOS oncenating rt Mmor changes have ben mad* to rrnprova reProductron aught,' Points ot we* o oprnrons stated minis Oocu ment do not necessanly represent ottrtist AVAILABLE CORPORATION BEST COPY OERI positron or pokcy 2 on Literacy the Cafeteria Line: Evaluation of the Skills Enhancement Training Program Judith A. Alamprese COSMOS Corporation Ann Kay Ruttenberg, Kilgallon & Associates, Inc. 1993 Prepared for the Food and Beverage Workers Union Local 32 & Employers Benefits Fund under funding from the U.S. Department of Education Preface The Skills Enhancement Training (SET) project was established in 1990 as a workplace literacy demonstration program with funding from the U.S. Department of Education's National Workplace Literacy Program. The Food and Beverage Workers Union Local 32 & Employers Benefits Fund in Washington, D.C., a labor-management entity, was the grant recipient and administrator for SET. As required by the National Workplace Literacy Program, SET was designed as a partnership between organizations from the workplace and education. The joint Fund served as the workplace partner, and the AFL-CIO Human Resources Development Institute was the education partner. SETs goals were to provide a basic skills instructional program that taught workplace-relatui skills to employees and to demonstrate how education and work organizations could work together effectively in providing employees with tilt project was an external an educational program. One component of evaluation conducted by COSMOS Corporation and Ruttenberg, Kilgallon & Associates, Inc. This report presents the findings the evaluation of SET's workplace literacy program that operated during 1990-1991. The evaluation's activities would not have been possible without the SET's director, assistant generous support and cooperation of the following: director, instructors, and other staff; the union president; the members of the joint Fund; participating employers; and staff from the AFL-CIO Human Resources Development Institute and the AFL-CIO Education Department. We by these individuals and are grateful for the assistance that was provided organizations. Special thanks also are given to workers participating in SET who willingly shared their experiences and thoughts about the program in interviews with members of the evaluation team. Finally, while we are thankful for the assistance provided by others, the authors alone are responsible for the contents of this report. i 4 Contents Page Preface Section Introduction I. I - .1 evaluation Approach I - 1 Evaluation Methodology I - 2 Overview of the Report I - 6 Description of the Project II. II - 1 A. The Partners in the NWLP Grant II - 1 B. The Targeted Workers and Their Industry II - 2 The Cafeteria Workers and Their Jobs II - 2 The Food Service Companies II - 3 C. Matching Support for SET II - 4 D. SET Classes and Participants II - 5 Overview of SET Classes II - 5 Participants II - 6 E. SET's Instructional Program II - 6 Curriculum and Assessment Materials II 9 Recruitment and Learner Counseling II - 11 Description of Project Staffing II - 12 Dissemination Activities II - 13 III. Centered in the Union and Industry: Description of SET's Educational Partnership III - 1 A. Key Elements in Forming the Partnership III - 1 Political Issues in a Joint Program III - 2 Building on Their Past Education Programs III - 2 Workplace Literacy As a New Priority III - 4 The Nontraditional Educational Partner III - 4 B. Partners' Goals and Expectations for the Project III - 6 Goals Expressed by Members of the Fund III - 6 Goals Expressed by HRDI III - 7 Limitations to Partners' Expectations III - 8 C. Participation in the Partnership III - 8 Role of the Fund as Administrator and Workplace Partner III - 9 Contributions by HRDI as Education Partner III - 13 Roles of the Companies III - 14 Role of the Union III - 18 IV. Toward Workplace-based Education: Findings Aboui. the Partnership IV - 1 A. Distinctive Features of the Partnership IV - 1 B. Impact on Participating Companies and Union IV - 2 IV - 2 Recognition of Basic Skill N ,teds Identification of Gaps in Training IV - 3 Awareness of Barriers to Upward Mobility IV - 4 Practical Experience on Which to Build IV - 5 Enhanced Avenues for Communication IV - 6 C. Impact on Industry's Educational Opacity IV - 6 D. An Alternative Model for Work-based Education IV - 7 V. The Impact of SET on Workers: Findings Regarding the Enhancement of Learners and the Operation of the Program V - 1 A. Enhancing Learners V - 1 Retaining Participants V - 2 Improving Basic Skills V - 2 Building Communication Skills V - 6 Enhancing Self Esteem V - 6 B. Structuring An Effective Program V - 7 Staff Training V - 7 Curriculum Development V - 8 The Workplace as an Educational Setting V - 8 VI. Recommendations for Policy and Practice VI - 1 A. Implementing A Workplace Literacy Program VI - 1 Lessons Regarding Recraitment VI - 1 Enhancing the Instructional Program VI - 2 Instructor Training VI - 3 Learner Assessment VI - 4 B. Establishing a Work-based Partnership VI - 4 Enhancing SET's Partnership VI - 5 Lessons for Other Educational Partnerships VI - 8 Involvement of Multiple Workplaces VI - 10 Joint Trusts as Program Operators VI - 11 C. Federal Technical Assistance VI - 12 References VI - 14 iv Appendices A. Members of the Fund A - 1 B. Job Classifications B - 1 Tables II-1. Characteristics of SET Participants II - 7 III-1. Roles of the Workplace and Education Partners III - 10 111-2. Levels of Participation by Union and Employers III - 15 V-1. Summary of ECS Results By Student Level V - 4 7 I. INTRODUCTION 1990 as a The Skills Enhancement Training project was established in U.S. workplace literacy demonstration program with funding from the (NWLP). A Department of Education's National Workplace Literacy Program 32 & labor-management entity, the Food and Beverage Workers Union Local recipient and Employers Benefits Fund in Washington, D.C., was the grant administrator for the Skills Enhancement Training (SET) project, which was designed to serve cafeteria workers who were members of the union. As designed as a required by the National Workplace Literacy Program, SET was The joint partnership between organizations from education and the workplace. Fund served as the workplace partner for the grant. The education partner was the AFL-CIO Human Resources Development Institute (HRDI). basic skills As a workplace literacy project, SET's goal was to provide a instructional program that taught workplace-related skills to employees in the education service industry. Another goal of the project was to demonstrate how with an effective and work organizations could join together to provide workers the educational experience. To assess SET's success in meeting these goals, The project included in its design an independent evaluation component. Corporation evaluators, who were subcontractors to the Fund, were COSMOS had and Ruttenberg, Kilgallon & Associates, Inc. COSMOS Corporation responsibility for evaluating the operation of the project's instructional program, implementation of the and Ruttenberg, Kilgallon & Associates, Inc. assessed the partnership model. woe:place This report presents the findings from the evaluation of SETs of the literacy project that operated during 1990-1991. Discussed in this section the report are the approach and methodology that were used to carry out evaluation. Also described are the remaining sections of the report. Evaluation Approach Since SET was a demonstration project that involved the development of a partnership between education and work organizations and the implementation collect of an instructional program, the objective of the evaluation was to information concerning SETs effectiveness in carrying out these goals and to identify components of the project that might require modification. The evaluation approach took into consideration an assumption underlying I - 1 demonstration projectsthat services are developed with the aim of creating program models and it is likely that not all aspects of a project will be effective as first designed. The evaluation was designed on the premise that the process of model building is iterative, whereby the components of a project should be examined during the demonstration period to identify which achieve the expected results and which need to be adjusted or revised to meet the desired outcomes. This process of review and adjustment is integral to a demonstration project and critical to the development of an effective program model. The approach used in designing the evaluation ef SET was to gather information about each of the project's components to determine the aspects of the program that were effective and those needing modification. This design required both formative and summative data collection activities in order to document the processes used to implement the components of the project as well as the outcomes achieved from the project's activities. The following processes and outcomes were examined in the evaluation: The processes used to carry out the partnership involving the union and employers who participated in the Benefits Fund (workplace partner), and HRDI (education partner); The impact of training and technical assistance activities on teachers' implementation of the instructional program; and The impact of workers' participation in the project on their improvement of basic skills, application of these skills to workplace tasks, and their perceived change in self-efficacy. The evaluation also examined the overall effectiveness of the project's model, including curriculum design and customization, organization of the instructional program, and project management. Evaluation Methodology In developing the methodology for the evaluation, the research team examined each project component and activity to identify the instruments and data collection activities that would be the most appropriate for gathering quantitative and qualitative data about the project's implementation process and 1 - 2 9 outcomes. The instruments and data collection activities are described for each of the pryzesses and outcomes that were examined. Development of the Partnership. The primary methods for collecting data about the effectiveness of the project's partnership model were face-to-face interviews with representatives of the two partners, as well as participation in meetings held by the members of the partnership and by project staff. A member of the research team conducted face-to-face interviews with individual employer representatives during the final months of the project to determine the 1) employers' assessment of the implementation of the project, 2) following: changes in employers' attitudes about worker training as a result of the project, and 3) suggestions for furthering the involvement of the employer in the partnership. Interviews averaged one hour in length. Similar information on the participation of the union and HRDI was obtained through interviews with representatives from both of those organizations. A research team member also participated in three group meetings of members of the partnership. Issues discussed during these meetings included grant administration, worker recruitment, schedule of the instructional program, and the payment of the bonus to workers who completed the instructional program. This team member also observed two meetings of the joint board of the Fund at which the company and union trustees made decisions on how the partners would conduct and oversee the project. The team member met with the Fund's accounting and legal consultants to discuss issues applicable when a joint employee benefits entity, like the Fund, serves as a federal grant recipient. Finally, the team member observed the two project graduations and several project staff meetings, and met with the instructional staff to collect information concerning the influence of the location of classes (i.e., in workplace or union hall) on the delivery of the instructional program. Effects of Instructor Training. Three methods were used to gather infor- mation about the impact of the training and technical assistance that was provided to instructors. The methods were: 1) face-to-face interviews with instructors, 2) observations of teacher training sessions, and 3) review of assessment instruments and individualized educational plans prepared by the instructors for SET participants. These data collection activities were designed to determine the extent to which the instructors implemented the project's curriculum and assessment procedures as specified in the project's training and to collect information about areas of training and technical assistance requiring modification. 1 - 3