Adult Education Consortia: Using Data, Partnerships, and Workforce Pathways to Drive Results

<p>In this Capstone Conversation episode, host Jared discusses adult education consortia, accountability, and the role of data with Kim Jones (director, Oakland Adult and Career Education), Shruti Bharat (CEO, Campground), and Paul Rosenbloom (adult education and community college advisor). Kim describes OACE’s long-standing adult education and workforce programs (GED/diploma, ESL, citizenship, and sector training) and its many partners across colleges, K–12 districts, workforce organizations, unions, and employers, emphasizing the difficulty of tracking learners across providers and into jobs. Shruti explains Campground was built to enable secure, collaborative data sharing across networks to support pay-for-performance placement, coordinated services, and stronger outcome storytelling for regional funders. Paul outlines California’s 71 consortia structure, the need to rebrand adult schools, support adult dual enrollment and alumni engagement, and sustain collaboration through disciplined processes and dedicated connector capacity.</p>