Washington Business Fall 2013 | Page 44

business backgrounder | employment & workplace By 2019, national studies, which have garnered the attention of groups ranging from the U.S. Department of Education to the Bill & Melinda Gates two-thirds of all new jobs Foundation as the U.S. struggles to find ways to get unskilled adults in Washington state will into the workforce. “When people look around to different adult education programs, they’ve come to the same conclusion that I-BEST is the one that really of college education. works,” said Cooper. Students in I-BEST programs are three times more likely to earn college credit and nine times more likely to receive a college degree or certificate over Big Bend Community College: their peers, according to SBCTC. They are employed at double the hours that non-Iwww.bigbend.edu BEST students are and earn $2,310 more per year than non-I-BEST students, according to the SBCTC. ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston: The I-BEST model itself is moving beyond the realm of workforce training programs. www.lambweston.com The I-BEST model has been implemented for other areas of adult education, including I-BEST: college entrance, earning a GED diploma, and I-BEST designed certificate and diplomas http://tinyurl.com/63xdcnr for English as a second language students. Jobs for the Future: www.jff.org “Seeing results and impact of this program is very exciting,” said Kerr. “This is why Washington state is leading the nation in adult education.” require at least one year Integrity Financial Corporation helps business owners evaluate and make smart financial planning decisions on behalf of their business. 44 association of washington business