Bridge Development Resources

Bridge Development Resources

Guide to Bridge Programs by Women Employed(

Women Employed’s mission is to improve the economic status of women and remove barriers to economic equity. Since its founding in 1973, Women Employed and its affiliate, the Women Employed Institute, have won historic changes in public and private sector policies that have expanded women’s opportunities and improved workplacesthroughout the country. Today, Women Employed is a leading national advocate for women earning low wages.Women Employed promotes fair employment practices, increases access to education and training, and provideswomen with innovative tools to plan their careers. In 2003, Women Employed launched the Illinois Career PathwaysInitiative, a collaborative effort to enable individuals of varied skill and ability levels to move along clear educationalpathways and into good jobs.

How to Build Bridge Programs that Fit into a Career Pathway – A Step-by-Step Guide Based on the Carreras en Saud Program in Chicago

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The purpose of this manual is to provide the tools and information needed to develop successful bridge programs, drawing on the specifics of the development and implementation of Carreras en Salud. This manual is useful to anyone interested in the challenge of tapping into the reservoir of talent represented by low-skill adults, whether the skills they need are English as a Second Language (ESL) or adult basic education (ABE). This can range from administrators of adult and vocational programs to instructors, employers, and others. This manual summarizes the key elements of the Carreras en Salud program experience in order to assist others to adopt similar initiatives.

Career Coach(
Career Coach is a complete program that will help you learn about good careers, set a career goal, and make plans to reach it

IL workNetTM(

For the purpose of expanding economic opportunity, the Illinois workNet™ Portal and Program utilizes partnerships and technology to expand seamless and real-time access to workforce development resources aimed at individuals, businesses and workforce professionals. Innovative partnerships span state economic development, workforce development, education agencies, and local workforce investment boards along with their public and private partners including local governments, community colleges and non-profit organizations. Through partnerships that leverage technology, a common vision to plan for the economic futures of communities and provide a seamless array of services is realized.

Work Skills Assessments

WorkKeys (
WorkKeys Foundational Skills assessments measure cognitive abilities such as applied mathematics, reading for information, and locating information. WorkKeys Personal Skills assessments are designed to predict job behavior and measure the full potential of individuals.
CASAS( )
CASAS —Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems —is the most widely used system for assessing adult basic reading, math, listening, writing, and speaking skills within a functional context. CASAS is the only adult assessment system of its kind to be approved and validated by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor to assess both native and non-native speakers of English. Backed by 25 years of research and development in adult assessment, instruction, and evaluation, CASAS provides programs with the resources and expertise to establish a comprehensive performance accountability system, address core indicators of performance, integrate literacy and occupational skill instruction, and evaluate the effectiveness of adult education and literacy programs. CASAS assessment, training, and evaluation are based on the critical competencies and skill areas required for success in the workplace, community, and family. With the implementation of the CASAS system, programs can establish measurable goals, document learner outcomes, and report program impact to students, staff, local boards, and policy makers.

Illinois Bridge Information Guide(distributed to all adult education programs in 2010 & 2011)

This Bridge Information Guide is the result of an effort to learn from the experiences of the 12 implementation programs and to better assist other adult education programs as they endeavor to build bridge programs.

Bridge programs are one of the ways in which Illinois adult education programs have served more than 120,000 learners annually. These programs provide adult education learners with contextualized occupation-specific basic skills needed to successfully transition to post-secondary education/training programs or pathway employment in high-growth industries. Information about bridge programming, the need for bridge programming, and its role in adult education in Illinois can be found in the Illinois Adult Education and Family Literacy strategic plan, Creating Pathways for Adult Learners: A Visioning Document for the Illinois Adult Education and Family Literacy Program: Continuing Our Work to Meet Adult Learners’ Needs.

This project began with a successful piloting stage of bridge programming in which seventeen adult education programs developed bridge program instruction in one of three sector/cluster areas: Healthcare; Manufacturing; or Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics (TDL). Twelve of those seventeen programs followed this development stage with an implementation process wherein the developed bridge program was fully executed.

The ICCB Transitions Study and Literature Review (available through CPC--

This report provides Illinois adult education programs with an overview of adult education student transitions. The report features program models, best practices, guidance for decision making, and recommendations at the state and program level.

Statewide Healthcare Bridge Curriculum and Manufacturing Curriculum(distributed to all adult education programs in 2011 and available through the Southern Illinois Professional Development Center)

Adult Education Bridge Curriculum for Healthcare or Manufacturing for programs seeking to enhance current programs or to develop Bridge Programs. The purpose of these curricula is not to provide training in an industry specific occupation but rather to introduce key concepts and terminology as they are integrated into basic skills instruction. The curriculum is divided into ten modules. Each module is designed to be used together and/or as a standalone, depending on the needs of the program. For example, the Career Awareness and Academic Success and the Technology Awareness modules are appropriate for all students as they help to prepare and introduce students to the occupations in healthcare as well as the essential technology skills. These curriculaprovide expanded opportunities for students.

Illinois’ Career Cluster Model(

The Illinois’ Career Cluster Model booklet provides information to multiple
stakeholders on the implementation of career clusters in Illinois. It provides a resource for partners to understand Illinois’ Career Cluster Model as its own adaptation of the States Career Cluster Framework. It is intended for individuals familiar with career clusters and programs of study and those beginning to learn about them.

Career Inventories

Career Clusters Interest Survey (
TheCareer Clusters Interest Survey is a career guidance tool that allows individuals to respond to questions and identify the top three Career Clusters of interest based on their responses. This pencil/paper survey takes about fifteen minutes to complete and can be used in the classroom or for presentations with audiences who have an interest in career exploration.
Career Cruising (
Career Cruising is an online career guidance and planning system. The tools can be used to find the right career and/or explore education and training options.
JIST Transition-to-Work Inventory(
The Transition-to-Work Inventory (TWI) is a self-assessment career-exploration tool that links an individual's non-work activities to work and employment opportunities. Using 5 point scales, test takers rate their degree of interest in 84 non-work activity statements. The TWI is written at a seventh grade level, and most test-takers can complete it in about 30 minutes.
JIST Assessing Barriers to Education(
Assessing Barriers to Education (ABE) helps academic counselors, career counselors, and job coaches identify the primary barriers preventing people from continuing their education. ABE ensures that today's job seekers and career managers develop strategies for overcoming those barriers, honestly assess the options available to them, and understand the value of further education.
JIST Career Exploration Inventory EZ(
Uncovering preferences for work, leisure activities, and learning can help students, job seekers, and others achieve a suitable career by helping them plan education, training, hobbies, or activities that will support this career path. Examining these major areas can lead to a more successful career and a more fulfilling life.
Self-Directed Search (SDS)(
The SDS can help you make the best career decisions wherever you are in your life. Taking the Self-Directed Search will determine your 3-letter Holland code to help you find the careers that best match your interests and abilities. A list of occupations (and college majors) with codes identical and/or similar to your own will be displayed on your screen. People who choose careers that match their own interests and abilities are most likely to be both satisfied and successful.
COPS Career Interest Inventory (
The COPS Interest Inventory consists of 168 items, providing job activity interest scores related to the 14 COPSystem Career Clusters. The COPS interpretive material emphasizes a "hands-on" approach to career exploration, featuring career and educational planning worksheets, along with a listing of suggested activities to gain experience.

College Placement Tests

COMPASS® (
The COMPASS® computer-adaptive college placement test helps educators quickly evaluate incoming students' skill levels in Reading, Writing Skills, Writing Essay, Math, and ESL. It also helps to place students in appropriate courses and connect them to the resources they need to achieve academic success.
ACCUPLACER®(
The purpose of ACCUPLACER tests is to provide students with useful information about their academic skills in math, English, and reading. The results of the assessment, in conjunction with students academic background, goals, and interests, are used by academic advisors and counselors to determine course selection.
ASSET®(
This assessment is a convenient paper and pencil testing and advising program for placing students into postsecondary institutions.

Transitions Online Series - Bridge Program Development rev 2-12