The workplace can be used by educators to reinforce academic concepts and help students appreciate the relevance of their coursework. Worksites provide a wealth of opportunities for  continued learning through specialized courses, professional development, and traditional on-the-job training. Many employers are searching for ways to help their employees and future workers meet the demands of the modern workplace. Lifelong learning enables workers to adapt to changing work environments and skill requirements. Employees who do not continually expand their knowledge base will find themselves left behind in the rapidly evolving world of work. At the same time, the underemployed, those with limited literacy, or those with disabilities enhance their skills through innovative workplace training and support. Moreover, adults who are dislocated by new technologies or downsizing benefit from career counseling and retraining, while others who have yet to enter the workforce need assistance to acquire basic workplace competencies. NIWL partners with educators, businesses, and unions to ensure that all have free and open access to the labor market and that all workers are able to grow and advance through continuing education. Current and recent projects include:

New Jersey Academic-Business Connections (ABC) Assessment.  Under contract with the New Jersey Department of Education Office of School-to-Career and College Initiatives, NIWL provided technical assistance to and assessment of the New Jersey Academic-Business Connections (ABC) initiative. The ABC initiative seeks to build and maintain effective partnerships among businesses, schools, and colleges to sustain school-to-career efforts in the state. NIWL consulted on conference planning and was responsible for all aspects of the evaluation. A final report provided findings related to process and impact. Recommendations for conference modifications and future conference planning were also included in the report.

Our Piece of the Pie (OPP).  NIWL is providing technical assistance to OPP, a youth business incubator and youth employment program in Hartford, Connecticut.  The program uses work and entrepreneurial experiences to engage at-risk youth in school-based learning.  NIWL is helping OPP set goals, design and implement strategies for data collection, document best practices, and develop and pilot a longitudinal survey process.

Research and Evaluation Capacity Building. With support from the National School-to-Work Office, NIWL and MPR Associates delivered a variety of technical assistance designed to enhance state and local practitioners' capacity to evaluate school-to-work efforts and use evaluation data for program improvement. Formats used for capacity building activities range from annual conferences and forums to customized technical assistance provided on-site in states and local partnerships. NIWL staff also fielded telephone research and evaluation inquiries from state and local practitioners and helped MPR Associates convene two working groups to develop strategies for evaluating work-based learning and documenting the connections between school-to-work participation and academic achievement.