PROJECTS
The EdTech Center supported the National College Transition Network (NCTN) in the implementation of the Massachusetts Career Readiness Initiative (CRI) to scale the use of an educational technology tool to align assessment methods, referrals and enrollments across three critical education and workforce systems: One-Stop Career Centers, community colleges, and adult education programs. The ultimate goal was to help job seekers with basic academic skills enhance their academic and work readiness skills to enable them to access greater opportunities as they transition to post-secondary education, training, and careers.
In partnership with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, NCTN designed and delivered training to staff from:
- 32 One-Stop Career Centers,
- 15 Community Colleges and
- a selected group of 50 Adult Education programs.
- The training covered integrating online learning tools (ACT Career Ready 101) into overall program design, service delivery, and curriculum and instruction.
Capacity building activities
- Designing and conducting a technology user needs assessment. The assessment identified the baseline technology skills of staff and staff perspectives on the baseline technology skills, strengths, challenges, and motivations of their program participants. The results informed the development of capacity building activities.
- Developing and delivering training on the characteristics of effective online learners and learning coaches to strengthen the support provided to technology-enabled independent study.
- Helping participating sites identify programmatic and participant goals as the driving force for selecting specific technology tools and Career Ready 101 lesson content to integrate into classroom instruction and service delivery.