Building Community Partnerships to Serve Immigrant Workers (BCPSIW)

Transcription

1 Building Community Partnerships to Serve Immigrant Workers (BCPSIW) Project Contact: Jim Fenton, ph. (859) ; Suite 101, AT Building, Bluegrass Community Technical College, 470 Cooper Drive, Lexington KY Overview of Partner Organizations (BCTC & KDC) - Two organizations, Bluegrass Community & Technical College (BCTC) and the Kentucky Dream Coalition (KDC) are team members for this project. BCTC supports access, success, and completion of educational goals through comprehensive and responsive programs and services at 6 campuses across the region and through distance learning. With strong partnerships and excellence in teaching and learning, BCTC provides a skilled workforce, through high-quality career and technical programs, workforce training, and continuing education. BCTC also prepares students for transfer to baccalaureate degree programs, and promotes regional economic vitality and quality of life through diversity and inclusion, cultural and global awareness, critical thinking, civic responsibility, professional competency and sustainability. The college enrolls around 11,000 students annually at 6 regional campuses in Central Kentucky, an area that has experienced rapid growth in immigration over the last decade. In response to this immigrant expansion, BCTC established the Office of Latino Outreach and Support Services. Since 2004, this office has grown to provide dedicated wrap-around student support services, recruitment and training to other colleges and local industries, founded and organizes a renowned annual Latino Multicultural College Fair that brings upwards of 500 students to college campuses to learn about postsecondary education. According to Excelencia in Education, BCTC has earned a national reputation as a prominent supporter of immigrant educational access and achievement, recruiting and graduating Latino students at a higher rate than other colleges and universities in the region. BCTC has also been recognized by the Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education (CCCIE) as an innovative leader in immigrant educational success. - KDC is a broad-based youth and young adult community network created to help immigrant youth and their parents access higher education through mentoring, programming and advocacy. In addition to the KDC s strong advocacy for immigration reform, KDC members focus on helping youth stay in school, adults to connect to GED programs, and assisting students to make plans for college and serve their community though meaningful leadership development, and empowerment projects like Artevismo Camp. KDC is also home to The DREAM Educational Empowerment Program (DEEP) coordinated by Genoveva Segura. DEEP is a catalyst for educational justice and empowerment for all immigrant students whose goal is to educate, connect, and empower immigrant students, parents and educators to close the opportunity gap and engage in local efforts to improve educational equity. KDC is a perfect community partner to connect with BCTC because of its broadly engaged Latino community, its national network connections, and its focus on educational access and achievement in the Bluegrass region. Project Personnel Project personnel are as follows. Latino Outreach Director Erin Howard and Coordinator Gaby Baca will

2 provide student support, advising, and placement services for immigrant students. Both are fluent Spanish and English speakers, have established and trusted relationships across a broad service area (Middle & High School, church and community organizations), as well as strong network ties with regional and national post-secondary educational institutions, grassroots organizations and empowerment movements. Professor Jim Fenton, BCTC ESL faculty, will develop the content for the contextualized ESL classes that will prepare immigrant students to enter the Biotechnology program. Dr. Fenton is experienced with curriculum development, and college processes necessary for course adoption and was instrumental in establishing the teaching of humanities courses in Spanish at the college. Professor Keith Allen (Biotechnology faculty) will assist in developing the contextualized ESL curriculum and support students prior to and during their enrollment in the Biotechnology courses. Professor Allen has a broad experience in biotechnology, strong connections with local industries employing graduates and with regional career placement services. Genoveva Segura (KDC representative) is a strong advocate for immigration reform, and has helped to focus KDC on local efforts to improve educational equity. Genoveva Segura is fluent in Spanish and English. As a member of KDC, Gaby Baca will serve as a the second team member for KDC; Erin Howard and Jim Fenton will serve as team members for BCTC. The problem facing Latino immigrants The biggest problem facing Lexington's Latino immigrants is lack of access to affordable education leading to higher paid positions. Forty-two percent (42%) of Lexington's Latino adults lack a high school diploma; only 15% of Latinos enroll in higher education, and only 13% who do enroll obtain a bachelor's degree. Significant hurdles to completing credentials are the language barrier, cost and inaccessible financial aid due to documentation status. These barriers result in low family income and high levels of family poverty. Only 23% of Latinos in Kentucky report that they speak English very well and since the state has had until recently a small immigrant population, it lacks accommodations for immigrants, further increasing cultural/linguistic isolation and difficulty in navigating complex college processes. Lexington's Lack of Service Organizations for Immigrants Although the Brookings Institute reports that Lexington ranks second in a list of the 100 largest U.S. cities with Latino population change from 2000 to 2007, the city has few organizations dedicated to working with immigrants. The most prominent immigrant-oriented service organizations are the Kentucky Refugee Ministries (KRM) and the Migrant Network Coalition (MNC). KRM settles refugee families primarily from Africa and Asia Minor but only serves refugees, very few of whom are Latino. The MNC serves immigrant and American families involved in the agricultural industry, most of whom are Latino, but its focus is limited to a specific industry and offers limited assistance to the larger urban population in Lexington. In February 2015, the city government finally approved the creation of an International Center as a point of contact for immigrants and businesses wishing to do business overseas. Not yet up and running, the city proposes that the center will offer job/career advising, skills tutoring, resume development, language support etc. While we view this center as a key potential future partner, at the present time the center is in process of formation, and not yet ready to partner with BCTC or serve the immigrant community. We believe the partnership between BCTC and KDC will serve

3 as a model for the International Center to follow as it develops its programs. Latino Immigrant Profile Although Lexington's immigrant Latino population is large, estimated at more than 20,000 or 7% of the city population, the projected number of people to be served by this initiative will initially be small, as KDC membership relates primarily to families with students in high school or postsecondary education and young adults. This population of young families will be our target population. Employment data for the Latino immigrant population indicates that there is an opportunity to impact Latino family income by establishing this partnership between KDC and BCTC. Pew Hispanic Center reports that in 2010, the Kentucky median income of Hispanics 16 years or older was $18,000, compared to $25,500 for non- Hispanic Whites in the same age group. Hispanic household size is larger than any ethnic group, and Hispanics are less likely to have the resources to pay for college. Data on educational attainment indicates that only 19.7% of Latinos in Kentucky have an associate s degree or higher (Lumina Foundation 2014) so a large number of immigrants cannot readily access knowledge of college processes via family contacts. On average, about a third of respondents to our annual surveys do not know about post-secondary opportunities available to them. Combatting widespread ignorance about educational opportunities will be a key part of the partnership. Our proposed training The training we would like to develop is to create an immigrant-friendly pathway to BCTC's biotechnology credentials. We will integrate foundational language and conceptuals skills with technical skills by contextualizing the ESL instruction to specifically teach the vocabulary and concepts of biotechnology. Existing biotechnology courses lend themselves to our planned approach since introductory courses focus on key language and concepts in laboratory work (BTN 100 Contextual Science with Lab, BTN 103 Contextual Lab Language, and BTN 104 Contextual Lab Calculations). Students will be able to complete the Basic Biotechnician Certificate in 2 semesters. The ESL pathway will be a single semester of ESL courses (12 credit hours) that students will complete in the Fall. Concurrent with their ESL courses, students will enroll in a Spanish language version of the BTN 101 Introduction to Biotechnology in order to reinforce key concepts without a language barrier. Spring courses will follows the biotechnology program plan leading to the Basic Biotechnician Certificate that prepares students for entry level jobs or additional certificates. Since certificates are stackable, students could continue their education towards an AAS degree and transfer to a 4 year college, or enter the job market after 2 semesters. Additional support will be provided at BCTC's tutoring center which will employ a Spanish speaking tutor who can explain concepts and vocabulary in Spanish to students. Career Pathways The Biotechnology program offers stacked credentials that are completed in 1 or 2 semesters, culminating in a possible 4 semester AAS degree. The 1 semester certificates are the Basic Biotechnician Certificate and Laboratory Assistant Certificate. The 2 semester certificates are the Advanced Biotechnician Certificate, Bioinformatics Certificate, and the Environmental Biotechnician Certificate. The AAS Degree Biotechnology

4 Laboratory Technician is a 4 semesters, 60 credit hours credential requiring additional General Education courses. With these credentials, graduates can obtain entry-level employment in public or private laboratories as laboratory assistants, technicians, testers or workers. These laboratories are in universities, pharmaceutical companies, food processing industries, companies performing research and development, and companies involved in plant and animal breeding. Employment and Labor Market Information Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicate that employment of biological technicians is projected to grow 10 percent from 2012 to Continued growth in biotechnology and medical research is expected to increase demand for these workers. The Lexington region, which serves as a governmental, medical and educational hub in the state, has particular workforce needs in which biotechnology careers play a key role. BLS indicates a national median salary is $39,700 for biological technicians and BCTC graduates can expect to find lab technician jobs in local industries earning between $25,000 and $40,000. Length of Training The length of training for the proposed contextualized ESL/Biotechnology Basic Biotechnician's Certificate is 2 semesters. First semester students will complete ESL courses, the content of which is adapted from the biotechnology curriculum, along with a Spanish language BTN 100 Intro to Biotechnology. Second semester courses are the 16 credit hour basic courses required for the certificate. Additional Biotechnology courses over a third or fourth semester can earn the student one of three certificates. With the completion of General Education requirements, the student can obtain a AAS in Biotechnology. Previous Experience BCTC has considerable experience is adapting educational programs to distinct populations. Recognizing that many our students in developmental classes fail to complete a credential, we have adapted various strategies to accelerate student progress towards completion. Similar projects to the proposed training that accelerate student credentialing have involved the following: courses taught in Spanish; ESL conversion to Credit (ESLCR); Accelerated Opportunity (AO) and the Co-requisite Model for Developmental Reading/Credit classes. - Spanish speakers enrolled in ESL courses can enroll in a general education course taught in Spanish. Currently, BCTC teaches an Intro to Humanities in Spanish so that students are exposed to academic level reading, writing and presentation without the barrier of English language deficiencies. The course has served as a successful retention strategy as it provides concepts and skills via the Spanish language. Students report greater confidence in their ability to succeed in college level work. - ESL students enrolled in an upper tier Reading or Speaking and Listening class may have their enrollment converted to a credit bearing class. For example, advanced ESL reading classes convert to HUM 120, and advanced ESL speaking and listening converts to COM 181 Public Speaking. Students enrolled in these 3 credit hour sections are provided additional support via a 1 credit hour reading workshop. This reduces the ESL course sequence from 3 semesters (beginner to advanced) to 2 semesters (beginner to intermediate and entry in 3 rd semester into credit classes).

5 - The Accelerating Opportunity program (AO), modeled on the successful I-BEST program, incorporates basic skills such as reading, writing, and math, which are taught along with the chosen technical program (currently Office Systems Technology and Welding Technology). Instruction is by two instructors working together in the same classroom, one focused on the content of the class, and one focused on helping students comprehend and implement the material. Classes meet 4 days for 3 to 4 hours so that in a semester, pre-ged students can obtain their GED, receive 12 to 15 college credits, and complete 1 to 3 certificates in their chosen career pathway. - The co-requisite model pairs a developmental reading course with a general education or technical course that a developmental student couldn t otherwise take because of mandatory placement. Instruction in the reading course contextualizes instruction by using the textbook from the credit-bearing course and applying the reading course objectives (reading strategies) to that text. This developmental strategy parallels what we plan to do with the ESL courses as a pathway to Biotechnology. Expected Outcomes We expect several short-term outcomes to our partnership. First will be the creation of an ESL/Spanish to Biotechnology careers Pathway via accelerated enrollment in the contextualized ESL courses (1 semester) followed by the Biotechnology courses leading to a Basic Biotechnician Certificate (1 semester). The Biotechnology program lends itself as a gateway program for immigrants because it offers a pathway to higher paying jobs, stacked credentials (1 semester or 2 semester certificates, and a 4 semester AAS), as well as a solid science foundation to pursue further credentials at a 4 year degree program. Second, the partnership will help us ensure that this program is immigrant-friendly by making it culturally appropriate, and will help us disseminate information about this and related programs in the immigrant community. The partnership allows BCTC to better share information with the immigrant community, and allows the immigrant community to find a supported pathway to college, either for the Biotechnology program or related programs. Finally, the partnership will allow us to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of contextualized learning for immigrant students, and to make adjustments before building out comparable pathways for other programs at the college, such as Cinematic Arts, Welding and Environmental Sciences, all of which are expected to have stackable credentials shortly, and which have good expectations for job growth in Kentucky. We also expect several long term outcomes. First, we believe the creation of this partnership will allow the college to establish long term ties to the immigrant community; conversely, the partnership will demonstrate to the college the value of integrating immigrant community organizations into the educational process. By working with young immigrant families the partnership can promote a culture of going to college among younger children, and serve as a key source of information for participating immigrant families. Second, the creation of an immigrant friendly pathway to biotechnology will serve as a model for other program areas that could adopt similar strategies. Finally, the partnership model could be adopted by other immigrant service organizations in our city (the Lexington International Center, the Kentucky Refugee Ministries and the Migrant Network Coalition) and catalyze a broader outreach to immigrants and refugees in terms of access to higher paying educational programs.

6 Additional Support BCTC has an established foundation, and has received and managed support from national and regional foundations. We will work with our foundation to identify and secure funding for expansion of this program via these national and regional foundations. As the Biotechnology career pathway is considered a STEM related career, we will also seek funding from state and federal sources to support additional build-out or expansion in in other scientific disciplines. The preferred date and location 1 st choice April 30 May 1, 2015 Chicago, IL; 2 nd choice is May 12 13, 2015 Largo, MD Timeline for Plan Development In addition to following committments as part of the grant, we have established the following timeline: May/June Identify and Develop ESL contextualized course contents with KDC Summer 2015 Summer Latino College Camp begin recruitment and advertising Fall Semester 2015 Develop KDC workshop presentations and materials to promote pathway Fall Semester 2015 complete program materials in English and Spanish for KDC & BCTC Timeline for Plan implementation January 2016 continue recruitment and dissemination of information via workshops with KDC, Spring Semester Present at College Fairs to attract participants April 2016 Present at BCTC's GED/ESL to college program June/July 2016 Latino College Camp continue recruitment and advertising for Fall 2016 Fall Semester 2016 Begin ESL course work. Spring Semester 2017 Begin Biotechnology Certificate course work

7 Letter of Commitment CEO BCTC

8 Letter of Commitment CEO KDC