Arizona Latino Workforce Study Underway

Latinos comprise an ever-increasing proportion of Arizona's population. The expanding Latino population represents a great asset as do the African-American and American Indian populations, but concerns have been raised about the implications of today's comparatively low levels of academic achievement and high drop out rates among these Arizonans. Many state leaders have called for new education initiatives for school-age Latinos. However, little has been done to see how workforce and adult education programs, which are intended to increase adults' job-related and language skills, are affecting Arizona's Latino workforce and other minority group workers.

On behalf of the Governor's Arizona Council on Workforce Policy, the Phoenix-based Morrison Institute is:

-Describing the adult Latino and other minority workforces in Arizona today, their labor force status, and issues specific to them as workers.

-Investigating the extent to which workforce development programs are, or are not, helping these workers to acquire and upgrade their skills.

-Researching English Speakers of Other Languages programs and whether there is a gap between supply and demand for instruction in "vocational" English.

-Profiling effective upgrading programs for similar workers in comparable locales across the country.

More here.