[NLA] Info: Massachusetts Study of Voters' Views on Adult Education and Training

[David J. Rosen]

NLA Colleagues,

Below are excerpts from a notice sent by the Massachusetts Institute for
a New Commonwealth (MassINC) about a new study of public opinion on
adult education and training.  The survey results are on a Web site
whose address is given below.  It's a quick read and has some reassuring
and surprising findings. 

David J. Rosen

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						***MassINC Update***

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts, working
collaboratively with MassINC, recently developed a series of questions
on the topic of adult education and training, and posed these questions
to 400 voters. Today MassINC is pleased to announce the results of this
new survey research online at:

http://www.massinc.org/publications/reports/New_Skills/nsne_campaign/opinion_research2.html

MassINC's work with UMass was made possible by support from Fleet, the
official sponsor of MassINC's Workforce At Risk Project.  The goal of
the Project is to use public opinion research to measure the attitudes
of key stakeholders in the area of adult education and training,
including workers in need of assistance, voters, taxpayers, and
employers, and then use the data to help advance a plan of action that
builds on public sentiment.
The new UMass-MassINC poll, which is the first research published as
part of the Project, turns conventional wisdom on its head!   While the
findings confirm broad public support for efforts to expand education
and training opportunities, the exact nature and extent of that support
suggests the need for leaders--both public, private, and nonprofit--to
reassess how they think about workforce skills issues.


ABOUT MassINC -- The Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth,
MassINC, is a nonpartisan, independent organization whose mission is to
develop a public agenda for Massachusetts that promotes the growth and
vitality of the middle class. MassINC's work is published for
educational purposes. Views expressed in the Institute's publications
are those of the authors and not necessarily those of MassINC's
Directors, Staff, Sponsors, or other advisors. The work should not be
construed as an attempt to influence any election or legislative action.
MassINC is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt, charitable organization that accepts
contributions from individuals, corporations, other organizations, and foundations.