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March 18, 2000 By Jim Mimiaga A new welfare-to-work program that targets the needs of people in Montezuma, Dolores and La Plata counties is now up and running. The Program of Self Empowerment (POSE), was made possible by a $1 million U.S. Department of Labor grant as part of a national effort to provide job skills and education for adults with disabilities. As a result of new federal welfare-reform laws, those adults require more assistance with acquiring job skills after their welfare benefits expire. That’s a challenge in Southwest Colorado, says Ann Miller, adult-education director for Montezuma and Dolores counties, because the state does not support adult education programs. "Colorado is the only state in the nation that does not provide funding for adult-education programs," Miller said. "So we needed to go for a federal grant to help out this rural region because we lack the support resources to address welfare reform." In order to have a chance against competitors on the Front Range who have the population to attract large federal grants, Southwest Colorado formed a tri-county coalition that brought together local social services, human resources and job-placement organizations, as well as the Piñon Project, the CSU extension offices and area schools before applying. That impressive cooperation between the different agencies got them noticed in Washington D.C., leading to the largest grant award of this kind for the region. POSE was originally awarded $3 million through the grant, but that amount was pared down last fall after the U.S. Department of Labor said that the purchase of computers was an administrative cost, rather than an educational one, and so the grant could not be used for such purchases. Supporters unsuccessfully countered that a key component in providing distance education in rural communities relies on computers. POSE is funded to serve up to 30 clients — 21 in Montezuma County, five in La Plata County and four in Dolores County. San Juan Basin Technical school is the flow-through agency and will participate by placing clients in express certification career classes at the campus east of Cortez. Adults who qualify will receive more direct assistance from client mentors in overcoming problems such as drug addiction or lack of basic reading skills, and then steered into job training and schooling.
Jay Slauter of Durango was hired as the program developer for POSE. He has established the foundation for the program to begin, and gave a presentation to education and social-services representatives that are collaborating on the project at the Re-1 Administration Building on Thursday. "The plan is to develop career options — something that they are interested in rather than just the six months required by the Department of Labor," Slauter said. "We have gone from a conceptual program to one where we are now ready to begin accepting clients. "The way this community came together to form this coalition and go after this funding has been impressive and should be congratulated." For education-starved adults in rural communities, Distance Learning classes through computers are essential for them to gain access to opportunity taken for granted elsewhere. High-speed fiber-optics is the key, but that infrastructure is still in the developmental stages in the region. Therefore POSE will contribute $150,000 to the San Juan Basin Technical school to be invested in fiber-optic installation. "Right now we have limited technical capabilities," said Leecy Wise, director of the Four Corners Resource Center for Distance Learning. "Once fiber-optics arrive, we will have real-time interactive learning capabilities from center to center so we can better serve the Western Slope adult-ed needs. Part of that is developing curriculum that can be adapted to distance learning, but we really need that high-speed capability to be more effective." The center organizes and produces programs for teacher training, sponsors basic life-skills education classes for area adults in reading, math and GED’s that are broadcasted and taped from the TV studios at the San Juan Basin Technical School. Tapes are then distributed to schools and communities across the state. Other plans for POSE are establishing programs to track students from the classroom to employment, transportation issues for working parents seeking advanced skills, and technology. "It is a regional program that focuses on those with the greatest need who face the greatest challenges from Dove Creek through Ignacio," Miller said. For more information on POSE contact Slauter at 565-8457 ext. For local adult-education programs contact Ann Miller at 565-8411, and the Four Corners Resource Center for Distance Learning at 565-1552. |
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