Building Pathways: The Emergence of a Project Director
Submitted By: Holly Chase
Santa Cruz Adult Education Consortia
Type of Practice: Leadership
Program Area(s): ABE / ASE, ESL / EL Civics / Citizenship, CTE / Workforce Prep / Pre-apprenticeship
Region: Central Coast
Consortia Involved: Santa Cruz County Adult Education Consortium
Program Overview
Having gone through the planning process and gaining a better understanding of what was to come with this grant, the Project Director position was created to help build synergy and communication.
The Challenge
One of the biggest obstacles the consortia faced was having someone to be able to focus full-time on this grant. The realization of knowing that someone needed to understand the dynamics of this grant to help advise in the structure and development of services, was the first recognition of being able to build or provide pathways within the different adult education service providers. With three adult education service providers providing resources to the community, and the community college now stepping in with a non-credit program, communication and partnership will be key to developing a cohesive consortium.
The Solution
Once the realization for the need of a Project Director emerged, the process of hiring for this position became the first step. The aim is for one individual to be able to focus on this grant while simultaneously building communication pathways between the different consortia members. Communication and transparency are key to building a strong consortium, and the solution was found in the need for building a Program Director position into the Consortia’s dynamics.
The Outcome
Once the Program Director was hired, deadlines and documents were starting to be put into order. There was a structure starting to emerge. The process of being able to better serve the the targeted population of adult students using this grant specifically started to take formation. The consortia board started to have public meetings, and the formation of a steering committee, along with seven working groups: designed to identify the gaps in the different performance areas started to become more tangible and clearer to everyone involved. Communication on all levels was starting to take place inside the consortia, and this is needed to forming a cohesive and synergetic partnership as we move forward into the future with CAEP.
The Data
The consortia have been able to meet their deadlines pertaining to the grant expenditures and submissions. The consortia have also been able to move forward with creating a "Steering Committee” who are comprised of educational representatives from each organization. The groups main goals are to look at what the needs are of their students, and if they are being served in their areas. There has also been the formation of "working" groups whose goal it is to identify the gaps that are happening in each program area and find ways to building pathways while minimizing these gaps to form a more fluid consortium. As a result, the lines of communication have been able to build and the emergence of a synergetic consortia are starting to configure.