Workplace Adult Education & Literacy
What is Workplace Adult Education & Literacy?
Workplace adult education and literacy is a programming model offered in collaboration with an employer or employee organization at a workplace or an off-site location that is designed to improve the productivity of the workforce. Read on for program design considerations and resources.
Adult education providers can help employers through in-house, customized, low-cost training to:
- Improve employees’ English language proficiency and academic skills specific to their job
- Provide digital skill building and work readiness skills
- Support occupational training and credential attainment
Resources for Workplace Literacy
Designing with Employers: An MOU Template and Sample
MOU Template and Sample
MOU with Employer to Offer Workplace Adult Education and Literacy
Sample MOU with Employer to Offer Workplace Adult Education and Literacy
Workplace Adult Education and Literacy: The Basics
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This recorded tutorial presents the key definitions and considerations needed to plan a program in collaboration with an employer or employee organization to improve the productivity of the workforce.
Transcript for Workplace Adult Education and Literacy: The Basics
Progress: Virginia's Workplace Adult Education and Literacy Programs
2026 Progress, Workplace Adult Education and Literacy
“What happens when adult education, workforce development, government agencies, and employers come together around a common goal? The result is more than a literacy program—it is a pathway to economic mobility, workforce success, and community impact,” write Joyce Jackson and Melinda Dart of Chesterfield County Public Schools Adult Education.
In this issue of Progress, you’ll learn how four different regional programs are approaching workplace literacy offerings and find tips for making the most of these powerful collaborations.
Adult Education Employer Fact Sheet
The Employer Fact Sheet is a 2-page infographic for employers that summarizes the benefits of partnering with adult education to delivery workplace literacy programs.
Improving Workplace English Instruction
Enhancing Access for Refugees and New Americans (EARN)
The Enhancing Access for Refugees and New Americans (EARN) project provides resources and technical assistance to adult education state agency staff, local programs, and instructors who serve or are aiming to serve English learners in Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE) programming and are interested in using an immigrant integration approach.
Read the Spotlight articles at the bottom of the page for more on workforce preparation programming, IELCEs, and economic integration for new Americans.
Literacy education and second language learning for adults (LESLLA): Tap Into Workplace Literacy with LESLLA Learners.
This article introduces strategies to support workplace literacy with emergent bilinguals and those who may have limited literacy in their home languages.
Slakk, S., & Peyton, J. K. (2020). TAP into Workplace Literacy with LESLLA Learners. LESLLA Symposium Proceedings, 15(1), 126-146.
Improving Workplace English Instruction
This Progress article explores ways instructors can build workplace English classes that support the career growth of their learners.
Bumbalo, H. (2018) Improving Workplace English Instruction, Progress, (2018).
Workplace Learning for Nursing Facility Care
Nursing Facility Care
Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) Toolkit for Nursing Facility Staff, VCU College of Health Professions
Welcome to the Trauma-Informed Care Toolkit, a comprehensive resource designed to empower nursing homes in fostering well-being and resilience among residents and staff. Crafted through the collaborative efforts of numerous individuals and organizations, our toolkit is dedicated to assisting nursing facility administrators and their teams on their path towards delivering person-centered, trauma-informed care.
The TIC Learning Center for Nursing Facility Staff, a training series from CardinalCare, Virginia’s Medicaid Program for Person-centered care and Ethical Decision-making.
ProLiteracy Workplace Literacy Guide and Research Brief
The ProLiteracy Workplace Literacy Guide provides resources, strategies, and practices for organizations to start and grow workplace literacy programming. The Guide includes sample letters to employers, employer surveys, sample lesson plans, and other templates for building a workplace literacy program.
This ProLiteracy research brief covers six decades of work on contextualized instruction for adult learners, focusing on workforce preparation. The report includes recommendations and considerations for designing instruction that are particularly useful for workplace adult education and literacy planning and implementation.
Contextualizing Adult Education: Learning from Six Decades of Experience and Research, ProLiteracy Research Brief, (2020).