Download CAEL’s Presentation Slide Deck
UEDA held its kickoff for 2024 affinity network programming. The Talent Network was joined by two presenters from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) who led a discussion on key workforce and economic development initiatives: Patricia Wallace, Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development Initiatives, and Dr. Scott Campbell, Vice President of Higher Education Partnerships.
RECAP
The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) is a 4800+ membership organization that engages with educators, employers, and community leaders to better align learning and work for adults; focused on creating education-to-career pathways for economic mobility and community prosperity and helping organizations succeed in accelerating changes reshaping education and employment landscapes.
CAEL’s website notes more than 9.1 million adult learners attend the country’s 4,000 colleges and universities, where they comprise almost 49% of total enrollment. It is therefore critical for educators, trainers, employers, industry groups, and policymakers to remain aligned in support of adult learners and workers and to forge successful industry-education-workforce ecosystems.
The UEDA Talent Network discussion included important insights from CAEL on what constitutes a healthy workforce ecosystem, noting steps from knowing your local labor market all the way through achieving scale. The CAEL presenters also discussed working with industry leaders to be more collaborative in addressing industry-specific challenges, including the Energy Providers Coalition for Education (EPCE), with regions to identify in-demand industries and occupations, and with the workforce system on career pathways among other efforts. Sharing evidence-based insights for informed decisions in all these areas is an important intersection between CAEL and UEDA members.
The Research Brief mentioned in the presentation can be found here.