American Workers Need Affordable Adult Education
Toyota rejected millions in subsidies from several American states to build a new plant in Ontario, Canada instead. The reason? Training American workers is more difficult and costly. What is the solution for America’s workforce?
In 2008, Toyota will open a new plant in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. American states vied for the jobs the new Toyota plant could provide, but Toyota rejected offers of millions of dollars in aid. “The training program you need for people [in Ontario], even for people who have not worked in a Toyota plant before, is minimal compared to what you have to go through in the southeastern United States,” said Gerry Fedchun, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association. See the article here.
Over 30 million Americans don’t have a high school diploma, and today’s workplace demands crucial literacy and thinking skills. Toyota’s decision highlights the problems American companies and workers both face. Without basic learning skills, how can American workers acquire necessary job skills?
“Business owners, stockholders, workers, and governments are all affected by an undereducated work force,” says Michael Ormsby, president of The GED Academy, GED preparation specialists. “People want a solution that’s doable… that can be implemented without excessive costs. One that works.”
The GED Academy purports that they have that solution: innovative educational software to help adults pass the GED. “The goal of our program is exactly what today’s workforce needs,” says Ormsby, “basic, fundamental skills.” The GED Academy terms it “essential education,” covering reading, writing, math, and critical thinking skills for adults who never learned how to learn.
“Our approach is to combine entertainment with learning,” says Ormsby, “using storytelling to engage people who lack study skills and who function poorly in a classroom. We use a simple, cross-platform technology developed for the web. All it requires is a computer, and students who go through this course become learners–workers who respond to training.”
The software is simple, flexible, and easy to use. The courses follow a virtual classroom, peopled with adult GED students, including Becca, a former truck driver who needs to find a new career because of back problems. “We wanted to give adult learners people they could relate to, and relate their learning to their real life. How is this going to help me with my job…or with finding a new job? How is this going to make my life better? Those are the questions students ask.”
Software-based educational programs have many benefits. Students can learn independently and receive immediate feedback through electronic quizzes. The costs are minimal, and since passGED provides teacher support both online and on the phone, no teacher is necessary. The main criticism of independent learning software is that learners need to remain motivated to use the software. To counter this criticism, passGED relies heavily on humor and character interactions in the virtual classroom, as well as providing Internet-based forums for group discussion, writing critiques, and support.
“For businesses and communities, this is an amazing investment,” says Ormsby. “It’s an investment in a viable workforce.”
For more information about the GED test, GED test preparation, or The GED Academy prep program, visit The GED Academy at: http://www.passged.com