Changing Lives with the FastTRAC Program

Presenters:Kathy Bjornson, ABE Instructor &

Carlynn Miller-Gore, ABE Instructor

Overview

• Description of FastTrac and two FastTRAC programs

• Setting Goals/Pre-planning• Shaping Student Attitudes• Staying Connected• Evaluating Outcomes • Resources

I. FastTRACOverview of FastTRAC model

Description of two models

Medical Office (Saint Paul College/Hubbs

Center/Goodwill EasterSeals)

EMS Academy (Inver Hills Community

College/ Hubbs Center/CAPRW)

Minnesota FastTRAC• Helps educationally underprepared adults

succeed in well-paying careers by integrating basic skills education and career-specific training.

• Programs provide intensive career and academic advising along with support services designed to help working learners succeed.

Minnesota’s Skills Gap

Adult Career PathwayMinnesota FastTRAC

POST-SECONDARY CREDENTIAL

BRIDGE II

BRIDGEPREP BRIDGE I

INTEGRATED SUPPORT SYSTEMS – CBO

INTEGRATEDINSTRUCTION

Core Support Roles• MnSCU instructor provides: content expertise, collaborates with ABE

instructor to develop course approach, assigns grades and provides periodic progress reports, refers students to case manager when external needs arise.

• ABE instructor provides: skills instruction including study skills, reading/writing skills, test-taking strategies and computer skills. Refers students to case manager when external needs arise. Assists in campus acclimation process.

• Central Point of Contact/Navigator (CBO): refers qualified candidates to academic programs, provides support based on needs assessment, involved in ongoing discussion with students and instructors regarding progress and external needs. Helps to hold students accountable to program and personal expectations.

Addresses student assumptions about:• Reading, writing, listening, speaking• Technology• How to be a successful student• Community• Advocating for oneself• Utilizing resources

FastTRAC Approach is Different

Integrated Instruction Example – Medical Office Career Pathway

Recruit learners, provide funding, host internships

Recruit learners, provide funding and support services

Facilitate project, coordinate progress meeting, provide technical support & networking

Ensure bridge course connects; support integrated course

Guide course development and implementation

Medical Office Prep Bridge Course

This 14-week, hybrid ABE course (half online, half in-class), offered on the Saint Paul College campus, introduces students to medical terminology, enhances computer skills, and builds soft skills needed to succeed in professional and academic environments.

Requirements:•TABE-D Reading score of 6.0+•Consistent attendance •Independent learning outside of the classroom

Integrated Medical Terminology

The Saint Paul College Medical Terminology course (3-credits) includes both the college and ABE instructor providing integrated instruction. This course is part of a 20-credit Medical Records Clerk certificate program at Saint Paul CollegeRequirements:•TABE-D Reading Score 8.0+ and GED/Diploma•Accuplacer Reading Score 69+ •Pass criminal background check – no financial crimes allowed•Attend orientation and complete intake forms•Support from Goodwill Easterseals Navigator

Student Story – Medical Office

Description of FastTRAC program:St. Paul EMS Academy

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

• Base salary=$30,000• Employed in hospitals,

medical organizations, municipalities, assisted living facilities, factories, fire departments, etc.

• EMT certification required for paramedic training and to be a firefighter.

Goals of St. Paul EMS Academy• Create education and long-term career

opportunities for culturally diverse adults (ages 18-24) from low-income households

• To diversify the pool of certified EMTs and candidates for the St. Paul Fire Dept.

• Mirror community demographics within our workforce

EMS Academy FastTRAC Partners

EMS Academy

Pre-EMS Bridge II Course

• 60-hour course taught by Hubbs ABE instructor

• Focus on reading, studying, test-taking, and soft skills.

• TABE D Reading score of 7.0-12.5 to qualify

EMS Academy Integrated Course

• 240-hour EMT (9-credit) certification course

• Co-taught by Inver Hills EMT instructors and paramedics (Content) and HUBBS instructor (ABE)

• Participants are paid hourly wages through the St. Paul Parks and Recreation Youth Job Corps

II. Setting Goals/Pre-Planning

Dedicated to identifying participant barriers and addressing them head on.

Wake Up!!!Audience Participation Time!!!

Think/Pair/Share

What specific barriers have affected your students’ success?

What resources did you use to assist them?

EMS Academy Positioning students for success

• Extensive application and interview process– CAP provides• Mandatory bridge to benefits/food support screening

and application assistance• Mandatory needs assessment• Mandatory resource plan for each student to address

barriers • Mandatory attendance at two orientation sessions

– Session I: time management, organization, SMART goals– Session II: Financial literacy

• Weekly office hours during Bridge and Integrated Courses

Success Stories: LeAnn

Bridge II Class GraduationEMS Academy Integrated

Class Graduation

Setting Goals/Pre-planning – Medical Office

• Resources to address external life issues provided through guest speakers, resource information shared in class and via e-mail

• Review expectations: “If your current life situation doesn’t allow for a commitment of this size, it will be best to take this class at a later date.”

• “Hope is not a strategy.”• Weekly self-evaluation rubric for classroom/workplace

expectations: attendance, materials organization, homework completion and setting goals for improvement

• Career goal-setting using ISEEK.org – identifying appropriate paths in medical field

• Volunteering in the medical field is strongly encouraged

III. Shaping Students’ Attitudes

This ain’t no party, ♬ ♫

This ain’t no disco,This ain’t no foolin’

around♪

Talking Heads, “Life During Wartime”

GRIT

Studies are showing that

“grit” not IQ

is a better indicator of long-term success and

happiness in life.

School as a Job

• Work Environment– Salary– Uniforms– Teams– Must call in absent or

tardy BEFORE class– Consequences- 3 strikes

and you're out

Motivation: Shaping Students’ Attitudes

• Goal setting and regular self-evaluation• Utilize student alumni: class visits, student

fairs, testimonials, etc…• Motivational video clips such as, “212

Degrees” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpJQqzJj534

• Ten Skills You Really Need to Succeed in College or Ten Skills You Really Need to Succeed in School by John Langan

IV. Staying Connected

Staying Connected

• CBO (community-based organization) and MnSCU job placement services

• Facebook page and website• Alumni nights• Free continuing education classes for re-

certification• Contact former applicants to reapply

Staying Connected

• Create “Who To Contact” Guide for students’ follow up questions/issues

• Graduates return as volunteers and “voice-of-experience” motivational speakers

• St. Paul Fire Dept. volunteers enroll students in pre-firefighting programs

Sustaining Viability of EMS Academy: Phase II

• Inver Hills Community College and the St. Paul Fire Dept. have developed a transport service for income generation to fund the Academy as well as provide on-the-job internship experiences.

Current EMS Academy Integrated Class and Phase II Employees

EMS Student Interviews

V. Evaluating Outcomes

Evaluating OutcomesEMS Academy

Students enrolled in Bridge and Integrated Courses 74

Students graduated and received EMT certification40

Student who have become employed51

(not all as EMTs)

These statistics do not include EMS Academy currently in session.

Evaluating Outcomes Medical Office

Students completing bridge class: 88 since Sept, 2010

Students in integrated class: 22 since Jan, 2011

Students who completed integrate class: 20 since Jan, 2011

• 15 Students employed, including 10 in medical field (7 medical interpreters, 1 medical transportation dispatcher, 1 medical receptionist, 1 CNA)

• Four students completed the 17-credit Medical Records Clerk Certificate credential program (now 20-credit Medical Office Certificate)

• Average grade of FastTrac students since Jan, 2011 = A

Minnesota FastTRAC Summary• Helps educationally underprepared adults

succeed in well-paying careers by integrating basic skills education and career-specific training.

• Programs provide intensive career and academic advising along with support services designed to help working learners succeed.

Q&A

• Review burning questions

VI. Resources

• MN FastTRAChttp://mnfasttrac.org/index.html• Governor’s Workforce Development Councilhttp://www.gwdc.org/skills_gap/index.html• Hubbs Occupational Preparation Classes,

including FastTrachttp://hubbs.spps.org/work-related_courses.html

More Resources!• Minnesota Repository of Coursework (MNROC)http://www.positivelyminnesota.com/mnrocapp• Hamline/Atlas Instructional Alignment Projecthttp://www.atlasabe.org/pd-system/research-surveys/instructional-practices-alignment-survey-2008• Promoting Learner Transitions to Postsecondary

Education and Work: Developing Academic Readiness Skills from the Beginning

http://www.cal.org/caelanetwork/pdfs/TransitionsFinalWeb.pdf

And yet more!!!

• New York Times article on “grit vs IQ”http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18magazine/what-if-the-secret-to-success-is-failure.html?pagewanted=all

• St. Paul EMS Academy Websitehttp://www.ehs.net/emsacademy/

Examples of CBOs

• How to get connected to your local CAPhttp://www.communityactionpartnership.com• United Way 2-1-1 (formerly First Call for Help)http://unitedwayhelps.org/pages/UnitedWay2-1-1/• Goodwill Job and Career Serviceshttp://www.goodwill.org/goodwill-for-you/jobs-and-careers/

Other FastTRAC CBOs

Project for Pride in Living (PPL)- Twin Citieshttp://www.ppl-inc.org/

SOAR Career Solutions – Duluthhttp://www.soarcareers.org/

Minnesota Valley Action Council (MVAC)http://www.mnvac.org/

Our Contact Information

• Kathy BjornsonKathleen.bjornson@spps.org

• Carlynn Miller-GoreCarlynn.miller-gore@spps.org

• Karen Gerdin- Twin Cities Regional Transition Coordinator

• Karen.gerdin@spps.org